Path of War
by Lady-Ravenhawk
Summary: With the threat of war imminent, the Z-Fighters prepare for their greatest challenge yet. But a surprise visit & a startling vision of things to come makes them realize they may be in over their heads. Goku struggles to save his marriage while Vegeta takes over everyone's training, & both of them face the dark reality of their Saiyan heritage. Not all stories have a happy ending.
1. A Gift for Tien

Tien stretched and blinked awake, reaching across the bed to pull his girlfriend into his arms, but gave a start when he realized the bed was empty.

"Morning, handsome," Sabriena purred from behind him and he turned to see her standing at the side of the bed, smiling down at him.

He relaxed back into the pillow and smiled back at her. "Mornin'," he answered, his voice heavy with sleep. "Mmm," he yawned, "what are you doing up already?"

"Oh, thinking about breakfast," she answered, playing with the little jar in her hands. She unscrewed the top and dipped her finger into it, winking at him. "I wanted your breakfast to be special this morning. It is your birthday after all."

Tien perked up at that. He'd nearly forgotten what today was. "Oh yeah? Does that mean I get special treatment today?" He'd never really celebrated his birthdays much before, usually just ignoring the fact all together.

Sabriena gave him a mischievous smirk. "Yes it does." She brought her finger up to her lips, her eyes locked on Tien's as she delicately sucked the sweet honey from the digit. Her eyes fluttered shut for a moment before she pulled her finger from her mouth with and obscene smack of her lips. "Mmm, so good," she smiled, a sultry look in her eyes.

Tien's mouth watered as he watched her and he shifted in the bed, his length hardening at her sexy little display. "So, ah, what's for breakfast?"

She dipped her finger into the jar again and traced the honey over the long scar on his chest, leaning down to breathe into his ear, "you are."

Tien shivered and caught her wrist, bringing her fingers to his mouth and gently sucked the honey from them, a low moan issuing from his throat. It made her toes curl pleasantly as his tongue trailed along each of her fingers, his hot mouth pulling at them. She leaned over and lapped up the honey she'd painted over his scar, sending a tremor through his body.

She pulled back, smiling and licking her lips. She slowly pulled her fingers from his mouth and dipped them in the jar before she traced a line over her own body from her ear down between her breasts. "Or you can have me for breakfast."

He smiled and pulled her down on top of him, sucking on her ear, lightly scraping his teeth over it, working his way down her neck, his warm mouth eagerly sucking and licking every sticky drop from her skin. "Mmmm," he moaned. "So good." He trailed his hands up her sides as he finally made his way to the valley between her full breasts. His fingers entwined in the straps to her tank top, pulling it down to her waist and he grabbed her ass through the denim skirt, lifting his hips to rub his erection against her. He smiled against her chest as he heard her whimper. Sliding his hands back up her sides, he finally cupped her soft curves, squeezing them in his rough hands as he pressed them to the sides of his face, nuzzling against her skin. The taste of honey mixed with the taste of her skin made him groan in longing, wanting to take her that very instant, but he loved the moment too much to rush it.

She pulled back and locked his eyes with a smoldering look as she painted more of the sweet substance across his skin, starting with his neck, dipping down to circle first one nipple and then the other.

Tien shivered in anticipation as she lowered her mouth to trace that line. "Oh gods, Sabriena," he breathed as she licked her was down, her tongue slowly circling the honey on his nipple as it hardened under the feather-light brush of her tongue. He bunched his fists in the shirt around her waist. Oh, sweet torment. Her lips closed over it, kissing it, sucking it. He groaned as his back arched off the bed, his length twitching as it hardened even more.

Sabriena laughed lightly against his chest, pleased with his reaction, and worked her way over to the other side of his muscular chest, giving it the same slow, deliberate attention. Her own core was aching with need for him, wanting nothing more than to be filled by him over and over again.

He grabbed her skirt and yanked it down, smirking when he realized she wasn't wearing anything underneath. He dipped his fingers into the jar and reached down between them, smearing the honey over her hot sex, licking his lips as she hissed at his touch. He sucked the honey from his fingers, moaning at the taste of her mixed with it. He couldn't wait another moment. He grabbed her by the waist and pulled her up, hooking his arms under her knees, and moving her so that her body was hovering inches above his head. He met her eyes and guided her down to sit on his face, capturing her in his mouth. His eyes rolled in his head as he slid his tongue over her, into her, savoring the flavor of her essence mixed with the honey. He'd never tasted anything so decadent in his life.

Sabriena gave a sharp gasp and cried out his name. "TIEN!" She scrabbled for anything to grab onto and reached for the headboard, digging her fingernails into the wood. Her face screwed up as his hot tongue swirled over her most sensitive parts, thrusting into her, wiggling against her clit. "Oh gods…" She dared to look down at him and nearly lost her composure, seeing Tien's mouth on her so intimately, his dark eyes staring up at her. She reached down and touched his face as she grinded herself against his mouth. "Holy shit," she breathed, her entire being in pure ecstasy.

Tien pulled away from her body. "Language," he warned. She had gotten much better about cursing and the push-ups were hardly a punishment anymore, but he couldn't help teasing her in that moment.

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Oh, you wanna play that game, huh?" She got up on her knees and Tien almost protested, but the next second she turned around and lowered her body to his mouth again as she reached for the jar. She laid over his chest, smirking as he wrapped his lips around her clit and she drizzled the honey up his hard length. He moaned and lifted his hips towards her face, practically begging her to suck him. She placed her hands on either side of his hips and captured the head of his cock in her mouth before she pushed up from the bed and lowered herself rhythmically over him.

Tien's eyes went wide as he realized she was doing her pushups while giving him head. He broke away from her body, arching his back, thinking he could absolutely die in that moment. "What are you doin' to me, girl?"

Sabriena chuckled around his length in her mouth and continued to raise and lower herself, her shoulders not even burning from the effort anymore. She concentrated on him, the feel of the hot steel in her mouth, the flavor of the honey mixing with the pure musk of Tien as she swirled her tongue over the head, swallowing down a drop of pre-cum that had formed there.

Tien captured her in his mouth again and groaned, the vibrations from his throat making Sabriena's breath catch and her body tense. She could feel the orgasm starting to build already, but she was not about to be outdone. It was his birthday and she was determined to start it off right. She lowered herself further over him, testing her limits, moaning deep in her throat as more of his cock slipped into her mouth.

Tien wrapped his strong arms around her waist, pulling her down harder to his mouth, rapidly flicking his tongue over her clit.

She screamed around him in her mouth and wrapped her hand around the base of his shaft, her fist against her mouth, pleasuring more of him as she moved her neck faster. She could feel him in her throat and touched it with her hand, feeling it expand every time she bobbed on his cock. She was smirking inside as she thought about it, wanting to show him just exactly what she could do for him, wanting him to see how much she enjoyed pleasuring him.

Keeping her mouth around him, Sabriena got to her feet, standing over him bent double. She snapped her fingers at him, drawing his attention. She trailed her fingers over her throat as he looked down at her, feeling the swell of him there, and pressed her face further down on his shaft.

Tien gasped at the sight of it. He could see her throat swelling every time she descended on him. He reached down and felt her throat, his cock going absolutely rigid as he felt himself there. "Oh gods," he breathed, starting to shake. He didn't know what it was, but something about that was totally erotic to him. He rubbed gently at her throat, almost stroking himself, and growled out in pleasure as his toes curled.

Sabriena's jaw was aching, but she was determined. Breathing heavily through her nose, she sucked harder, finally drawing the rest of his length into her mouth until her face was pressed against his body. She gave a soft moan, her eyes fluttering in satisfaction as she sucked at him. She ran her hand up his thigh and between his legs to cup his balls, rolling them gently in her hand as she pleasured him.

Watching her swallow around his hard length was almost as intense as the feeling of being drawn so deeply into her hot mouth. Tien couldn't stop the low moan that escaped from his throat and he ran his hands up her legs, trying to control his hips from moving even though he wanted nothing more than to thrust up into her mouth. He forced himself to stay still, not wanting to hurt her. He trailed his hand up the back of her thigh, seeking out the wet warmth of her body with his fingers, never tearing his eyes from her throat. He was still buried deeply in her throat as he slid his finger into her tight, wet heat making her moan. Tien's body tensed again at the vibration. "Girl, you're gonna have to stop that," he warned in a husky voice. "You're gonna make me come already."

Sabriena pulled back with an obscene smack of her lips. "More," she begged and wrapped her mouth around him again. She screamed around the hard flesh in her mouth as he slid a second finger into her, his thumb lightly brushing her sensitive clit. Her eyes rolled in her head as his thumb mimicked the motions of her tongue, twirling around it, flicking over it. She lightly raked her nails over the soft flesh between his legs, making him jump. Sabriena laughed slowly as she swallowed him down again, sucking him harder.

It became a contest then, each of them determined to send the other over that edge first. Tien was driving his fingers deeply into her body, his thumb massaging her clit as she sucked his cock with all the enthusiasm she could muster. He finally pulled her back down, his fingers still inside her, and let his tongue flick rapidly over her swollen, tender flesh, his free hand still on her neck, feeling himself there. Sabriena screamed, the waves of pleasure slamming into her; Tien's back arched at the same moment as his cock swelled and released a torrent of hot cum down her throat as he roared his pleasure.

Sabriena pulled back from him, sweating and shaking as he withdrew his fingers from her body. "Oh… oh wow…"

"Wow is right," Tien panted, staring up at the rafters of his cabin. He lovingly patted her rear, a light laugh rumbling up from his chest. "Happy birthday to me."

* * *

Sabriena was happily finishing up preparing their lunch, wondering when Goku was going to show up. He usually just popped in whenever he felt like it, they didn't bother with setting actual times for training, and she wondered how good he was at keeping time. She didn't have to wonder long because the next minute she felt his energy appear in the yard. She grinned at Tien, who was sitting at the table trying to steal a piece of the sushi she'd made, and hurried over to the door. "We're gonna eat without you if you don't get in here!" she called out teasingly.

Goku chuckled, "Sorry! I had to hurry and wrap his presents! That old man is hard to shop for!" He spoke loudly, knowing Tien could hear him and he bounded up the steps and peered inside, winking at his friend, "Happy Birthday Tien!" He handed over two presents wrapped in simple brown packaging, "Sorry its nothing fancy. Chichi wouldn't let me buy wrapping paper so I used some old shopping bags." He hoped his friend would like the new gi he picked out for him - blue pants and a black shirt. He also had picked out a new set of fishing lures, since he and Tien liked to fish so much. He wondered if they'd get to try them out after lunch and walk down to the river just a couple hundred yards outside of Tien's front door.

"Aw, Goku, you didn't have to get me anything," Tien said, but smiled and accepted the gifts. He opened the first, seeing the new uniform and smiled. It was the right size and everything. "Thanks! I was needing a new one. There's only so many times I can patch up the old ones. You two keep tearing 'em up."

Sabriena laughed and shrugged, bringing over a huge platter of sushi and setting it on the table. "That's what you get for making us train so hard."

Tien opened the second gift and grinned even wider at the lures. "Now there we go," he chuckled. He nodded at Goku, "Thank you. We'll have to try these out later."

"Aww, Goku, you're so thoughtful," Sabriena praised. "Now sit down, let's have some lunch. I'm starving."

Goku's stomach growled loudly in agreement and he sat down, "Wow! You made all of this? It looks amazing!" He said and, after Tien helped himself, he reached for a few pieces, eagerly popping one into his mouth. His eyes widened as the sushi practically melted in his mouth, the flavor bursting across his tongue. His eyes fell closed as he chewed, sad to have the piece end. He looked at Sabriena, his eyes bright, "Oh wow, this is delicious! Tien! You eat like a king!" He looked back at Sabriena, winking at her, "I think I might have to kidnap her."

"I'd fight you for her," Tien warned. "I'm too used to her cooking to give her up now."

Sabriena blushed at his compliments. "I'm glad you like it," she smiled and reached for a few pieces, setting them on her plate. She shuddered at the thought of being kidnapped and taken back to his house, having to stay there with Chichi. "No thanks, I think Chichi and I might kill each other," she laughed. She eyed him up and down, a mischievous smile splitting her face. "Maybe I'll keep you out here instead."

Goku chuckled and ate more, moaning out at the taste, "You'd have Chichi out here in a second if she found out you kidnapped me, she wants me at the house practically all the time." He couldn't believe how fast he filled up, and soon he pushed away his plate, popping his last piece into his mouth, "Ho Boy! Am I glad we aren't training today! I would be rolling all around out there!"

"Maybe I should make you train today," Tien teased. "I might actually have a chance of beating you for once."

Sabriena cleared away the plates and beamed at Tien. "Now you just sit here with Goku for a minute," she said, pouring each of them a cup of coffee. "I have to go get your birthday present. I hid it from you. So you just stay put."

Tien raised his eyebrows. "You didn't have to get me anything," he protested.

"Yes I did," she answered and hurried out the door before he could say anything else.

Tien shook his head. He'd never really gotten birthday gifts before and he wasn't sure what to say exactly. "I don't know what I'm going to do with the two of you," he growled at Goku. "It's just another day. You guys didn't have to go to any trouble just for me."

Goku chuckled, "Ah, hush up and enjoy it! We wanted to."

Sabriena had hurried out to the root cellar where she'd tucked away Tien's present. "Oh, damn you," she growled when she saw the over turned crate of vegetables on the floor. She huffed and quickly set them right, then grabbed his present and stuffed it back into the big box and set the lid on top with the big bow. She struggled to carry it out of the cellar, nearly falling flat on her face. She managed to make it across the yard, but her footing slipped when she neared the door and she fell on the front step to the cabin, her knee slamming onto the wood. "Sunovabitch!" she growled out, struggling to hold onto the box. She took a moment to compose herself before she tossed her hair over her shoulder and got to her feet again.

She kicked open the door, beaming at Tien over the top of the box. "Happy birthday!" she grinned and set the box in his lap.

"Uh, Sabriena," Tien said uncertainly, his eyes going wide as the box shook and a scratching noise sounded from inside. "This box is moving."

"Just open it," she huffed.

Tien lifted the top off of the box, his eyes going wide at the large puppy that looked up at him. It was grey and white with black spots all over him and he had big floppy ears. "Oh my god," Tien chuckled, lifting the pup out of the box. He set the box on the floor and rubbed at the puppy's face, looking him over. "Wow, look at those blue eyes. Hey, buddy."

Goku's eyes widened as he saw the wriggling puppy. "Oh wow! Isn't he cute?" He laughed and reached over, scratching behind the dogs ears, "So soft! Wow, Sabriena! Where did you get him?" he laughed as the puppy started licking Tien's face.

Sabriena grinned as Tien leaned back in his chair, tipping his chin up away from the puppy, who was determined to lick him anyway. "Oh, I found someone who breeds them. I always liked Great Danes. I thought Tien could train him to hunt and, well, a big guy like Tien needs a big dog." She stopped and snorted, "I don't think he would've appreciated something like a Chihuahua, do you?"

"Dear gods, no," Tien grumbled, petting the puppy, trying to get it to sit still in his lap. "This is all right," he grinned.

Goku smiled and reached over to scratch at the puppy again, chuckling when the pup nipped playfully at his fingers. "What are you gonna call him, Tien?"

Tien frowned, lifting the puppy up to look at him again. "What am I gonna call you, dog?" The puppy gave a sharp bark and Tien chuckled, setting him back down in his lap. "Ah, I'll think of something." He rubbed harder at the puppy's fur, teasing the little dog, getting it wound up. "You wanna go fishin'? Huh? You gonna be my fishin' buddy?"

Sabriena couldn't have been prouder of herself. "I knew you'd like him."

Tien smiled at her. "Thank you. He's awesome."

"Speaking of fishing," Goku grinned slyly, picking up the lures and shaking them suggestively at Tien. "Hint, hint."

Tien laughed again. "All right, let's go," he said setting the puppy on the floor and heading for the door. He paused and looked from Goku to Sabriena. "Really, thanks you guys. This is the best birthday I've ever had."

* * *

Author's Note: If you are new to my stories, I suggest you visit my profile and get caught up on the previous stories so that you have an idea of what's going on. Of course you're more than welcome to just jump in, I just want to let everyone know there is a backstory before this. To those of you who've been keeping up, here's the story I promised. Remember, I'm a review whore. The more reviews I get, the faster I update! (sometimes even within the same day!) Love you all! Ciao!


	2. What Hurts the Most

Chichi angrily slammed the refrigerator door shut. "And he wonders why I don't cook for him anymore," she grumbled to herself. "Even when I do, he doesn't show up to eat it." She had hastily tossed Goku's portion into some tupperware and thrown it in the refrigerator. Goten was already in bed and most of the lights in the house were off. "Rude. Just plain rude, that's what it is," she muttered, shaking her head.

Goku had always spent most of his time training, but over the past several months, he had been spending ALL of his time training and Chichi was sick of it. He'd run out of the house first thing in the morning after breakfast, saying he'd be home for supper, but he never showed up on time. Every single day was spent sparring with his friends – namely Tien and Sabriena.

Chichi scowled at that. He knew she didn't like Sabriena, yet he continued to go over there and spend time with her. It infuriated Chichi the way these young women flirted with her husband. And he just let them! He should've been at home with her or out working a real job to make them some money, not running all over the place all day long.

She shook her head and pulled the clean dishes from the drainer, thinking to herself that she couldn't take much more of this.

* * *

Goku blinked as he appeared outside of his home, the sun was just beginning to set and the lights in his house were already dark. He wiped his forehead on the back of his arm and frowned; he had wanted to spend the evening with his family after a long day of training. He was sore and tired. Tien and Sabriena were getting faster and stronger each day. He loved it, having two other people to spar with who were almost as enthusiastic about it as he was. He used to spar with Gohan and Lindsey, but Gohan's college classes had started back up now and Lindsey was so busy with the new baby that she was far too exhausted to train. Tien and Sabriena couldn't match him in strength, not by a long shot, but by working together they were all learning to better anticipate the moves and attacks of another, developing their own new attack combinations, and increasing their speed as each movement became pure muscle memory.

He stopped to build a fire under the hot tub before he went into the house, flipping on the lights as he went. He peered into the kitchen where Chichi was, a bit of disappointment growing in his chest. "Hey honey...you guys already eat? It's just a little past eight." He pouted, looking to the fridge where he knew a cold meal was waiting. Well, he hoped a meal was waiting. Sometimes she didn't even fix him anything for supper nowadays. "I was hoping you and Goten could soak in the hot tub with me for a while."

"Dinner's at seven, Goku, you know that," Chichi snipped, putting away the last of the clean dishes. She turned and frowned at him, his dirty clothes, the rip in the knee of his gi that she would have to mend. "Goten's already in bed. He spent his day studying hard so he can actually do something with his life when he grows up." She was furious. All that man ever did was train. She didn't even bother to ask where he'd been. She already knew. "Your dinner's in the refrigerator," she said coldly.

Goku frowned. "But Chichi, you know that I have long training hours. I always come home around eight. Couldn't we just move dinner to around then?" he asked.

"Or you could just come home on time," she snipped.

He looked at the fridge, his stomach groaning in hunger and he went to it and fetched the small plastic box that held his meal. "Uh... is there any more?" he asked sheepishly.

Chichi shook her head. "I didn't fix any more because I didn't think you'd be coming home to eat. You spend all your time over there; you can't expect me to think they don't offer you something to eat all day long." She'd been hoping to slip upstairs and be asleep in bed before he came home. She was tired and her feet were aching from being on them all day, cleaning and taking care of the house. She crossed her arms and looked at him. "Would it really kill you to spend one hour less with them each day? Is that too much to ask?"

Goku was feeling hurt, "Chichi, you know that there is a war coming. One hour of training might make all the difference between living and dying!" He sighed and set the food on the table and looked at her. "I am doing this for you, for Goten, so that he has a future to look forward to. We each do what we have to..."

Chichi rolled her eyes dramatically, making sure he saw it. "Well, then you get what you get," she snapped. "I'm not wasting my time cooking for you if I don't know that you're coming home for dinner. You think I enjoy slaving over a hot stove? You think I enjoy cleaning this house all day long, day in and day out?" Her voice was rising, her frustration reaching a boiling point. "Why should I even bother? Why do I have to put in the effort when you don't?!"

Goku felt like he had been slapped across the face. "Chichi! How can you say that I don't try? I DO try, you shove me away! Every time I try to help you, try to make your life easier, you tell me no! Let me help you with these things and I can be here for you. I tell you I will be home for dinner EVERY NIGHT. You are my mate and I love you, I will be here at eight every day! I can try to leave an hour earlier to be home, but Chichi, how can you say that I don't put in the effort? I train so hard to protect you, to protect our family! Why isn't that enough for you?!" He didn't mean to shout, he really didn't, but he was hungry and tired and all he wanted was a decent meal and to spend some quiet time with her before bed.

"Why do you even bother to protect us if you refuse to spend time with us?!" she shot back. "All I hear is 'I do this for you, Chichi' but what does it matter? You come here to eat, sleep, and shower. That's it! Did you ever think that there's more to life than fighting? I don't want your help, I just want you around! When was the last time you did something NICE for me? You expect me to raise your children and cook your meals and clean your house and... take care of you on the full moon..." She paused to shudder. "Did it ever occur to you that maybe it'd be nice to show me a little appreciation?!"

Goku's mouth snapped shut and he realized she kind of had a point. His gaze softened, his voice gentle again as he spoke, "I can do that." He managed smile for her. "Come on, Chichi, I have the hot tub going. Come take a soak with me, I can massage your feet and maybe… help you out?" he offered, thinking about how long it had been since they'd been physically intimate. He remembered he had been on edge during the last full moon. Chichi wasn't having it with him that day and certainly not that night. Helping himself hadn't been easy. He couldn't get the satisfaction he wanted with just his hand and it had left him wanting more.

"Ugh!" she groaned rolling her eyes again. "You think that damn hot tub and sex is going to fix this?" She narrowed her eyes at him. "That's all I am to you, isn't it? Here I am, trying to communicate with you, trying to... to save this marriage, and all you can think about is sex?!" She pressed her lips to a thin line, shaking her head. Her voice was softer as she looked down at her hands, tears brimming in her eyes. "I don't know if I can do this anymore, Goku."

Goku blinked at her, "I thought that was what you meant; isn't that appreciation? What do you want me to do for you? Just tell me what to do! You know I can't stop training, but I can make time for you. Anything you want – just tell me." He walked over to her, reaching out and putting a hand on her shoulder, stroking his thumb over the smooth silk of her dress. "I'll see what I can do about shortening my training schedule for you. Let me help you around the house, Chichi. Come on, we can go to bed together, let me just give you a massage, hold you, no love making unless you want to."

She slapped his arm, knocking his hand from her shoulder. "Don't touch me," she spat. "You just refuse to listen to me, don't you? I. Don't. Want. Your. Help. You break enough dishes around here as it is. I don't need you breaking more tying to wash them or messing up the laundry by not doing it right! You'll just make more work for me! I shouldn't have to tell you how to show your appreciation. You should just know!" She was furious at him, she could feel her face getting hot. She didn't want to be touched. Truth be told, she didn't know what she wanted at all. But it wasn't this. "I don't know why you insist on training every single day. Aren't you strong enough as it is? Lord knows you can't control it now. God help us if it gets worse!"

He shrank back from her, not knowing what to do or say. He didn't know how to appreciate her when everything he did seemed to make her more and more furious at him. "Chichi, I ask because I've done everything I can think of to make you happy, to make you smile again, like you used to back when we first got married. You trained with me all day long on some days. We used to have fun together. What about you? You tell me not to train all day, you need to not work all day long."

She narrowed her eyes at him in disbelief. "And what kind of wife would I be if I didn't take care of this house?" she demanded. "I have a son to raise and teach, on top of all the chores around here. If I took a day off, I'd never get caught up!" She thought back to when they were first married, how happy she'd been, thinking she was doing the right thing by marrying young and starting a family, just like her mother had taught her was the right thing to do. She never would have married Goku if she'd known the truth, that he was an alien. "Yeah, we had fun. And I was happy, until our son was born with a TAIL. I swear, I never would've..." she snapped her mouth shut and shook her head, looking away from him.

Goku felt a pang in his heart and his neck where his mating mark was. He reached up to cover it, but it was cool to the touch and it made him sick. It was starting to do that every time they argued. The mark used to bring him pleasure, sending a warm, comforting wash of energy down his spine when he touched it. He pulled his hand away from it, swallowing harshly to keep himself from getting sick. "Chichi..." His eyes teared up, prickling at his face as he spoke. "Chichi you cant mean that. I'm the same now as I was when you met me. What difference did it make that I'm an alien? I'm still me. I didn't know at the time or I would've told you. I still love you... I love you more than anything, Chichi. What..." a lump caught in his throat and his chest tightened, "What are you trying to say?"

She sighed and looked up at him, a tiredness in her eyes. She let her arms fall to her sides, an almost pleading look on her face. "I'm not happy, Goku. You're not happy. You'd be here at home with me if you were. We're lying to ourselves." Her mark was freezing the side of her neck, making her ache all over. There was a sadness in her chest that she couldn't explain. She felt like a failure. And yet, at the same time, she still felt that anger towards him. This was his fault, after all. How could he not see that? Thinking sex and making more chores for her would make her happy, would somehow make it all better. "Goku, I want a divorce."

She could've knocked him over with a feather at that point. He felt horrible, something in him breaking at the sounds of those words coming out of her mouth. A cold panic was rising up in him, making it hard to breathe. "Oh gods, Chichi. You... you can't mean that. I am happy, you make me happy. Our children make me happy. You are why I train so hard every day, I never want anything bad to happen to you. This war... I just know it's going to be so terrible, Chichi. The last fight we had with these people, we all nearly died. Piccolo would have died if he couldn't regenerate himself. Leelee was scarred so badly. Lindsey's arm… Vegeta's leg… Trunks was practically crushed to death! I have to be able to protect you if they come after you to get to me. Please, give me a chance to make this right to you. I don't know what I would do without you, Chichi. Please! Please don't do this." He was nearly in tears, a fear like he had never known rushing through his system. They were mated for life – he couldn't fathom not being with her.

Chichi shook her head slowly, not looking at him. Something was breaking and she didn't know if it could be fixed. She'd worked so long and hard to create the perfect family, so make due with the life she had and try to project this image of normalcy that he just seemed to wreck at every given turn. Maybe her image wasn't worth all this. No, she told herself, she had to keep trying, surely one of these days he would come around. She could have that normal life she dreamed of. But then another part of her told her that he would never change. "I don't know," she murmured. "I just don't know anymore. I don't even know if this is worth my time."

Goku sat down heavily in his chair at that, not sure if his feet would keep him standing up much longer. He felt like crying, he felt like screaming. He felt that if he grabbed her up and shook her hard enough, she would come to her senses. He opened his mouth to say something, to plead with her, but the vice-like grip of fear on his chest wouldn't let up and he couldn't utter a word. He had to figure something out. He had to make her fall in love with him again.

She pressed her lips together, nearly sneering at him. "Fine," she said in a matter-of-fact sort of way. "I pour my heart out to you and you don't even have a single word to say. That is so typical of you." She crossed her arms over her chest, clenching her jaw. "Fine. I'm going to bed. And don't you even _think_ about coming in that bedroom." And she turned promptly on her heel and marched up the stairs to her bedroom, slamming the door shut behind her.

Goku was left sitting there, his head spinning. He winced when the door slammed, and he squeezed his eyes shut tight, but that didn't stop the tears from slipping out and sliding down his cheeks. He had to do something. He didn't know what to do, but there had to be _something_. He had to ask his friends, maybe they had an idea of what he could do to show Chichi some appreciation, to show her that she was the most important person in his life and that he loved her with all of his heart and soul. He looked up at the food with blurry eyes and stood up, putting it back into the fridge. He'd lost his appetite.


	3. Shall We Dance?

Goku popped over to Tien's cabin, the idea in his head to romance Chichi strong in his head, but he had absolutely no idea how to start. He wanted to do something romantic for his mate, his wife. Something that would make her feel special and loved. He knocked on the door to the cabin as he shivered, he did not like the colder air of the mountains. It was only late September, but this far North, it was already starting to turn cool. Goku hadn't seen his friends for a few days; he'd spent all of his time at home, but that only led to one disaster after another when he tried to help Chichi around the house and she kept screaming at him that he was doing it wrong. He finally resigned himself to just hang around outside, trying to come up with ideas to make her happy, but thus far he hadn't come up with much. He thought the plan over in his head; so far he figured he would try to cook or order something and set it up all nice, but aside from the food, he wasn't sure what to do.

Tien pulled open the door, smiling when he saw his friend. "Goku! What's up?" he grinned, stepping back and letting Goku into the house. Tien couldn't help being ridiculously happy ever since he and Sabriena had finally gotten together.

Sabriena was sitting on the floor, trying to persuade the new puppy to sit for her, but all he did was tip his head to the side and bark. "I just had to pick the retarded dog," she muttered.

Tien shook his head at her. "You okay?" he asked Goku. "You look like something's on your mind. We haven't seen you for a few days."

Goku smiled widely at the sight of the little dog on the ground and went to sit next to Sabriena, reaching out and scratching the puppy behind his ears. "Well, I've been trying to patch things up with Chichi. She's not real happy with me at the moment. I thought, you know, maybe if I did something nice for her like a romantic evening at home or something it might cheer her up. But I don't know what I could do that would make her appreciate it. What's romantic? Do you have any ideas?"

Tien blinked at Goku. "You're... really asking ME for relationship advice?" he chuckled nervously. It had taken Tien months to finally tell Sabriena how he felt about her. They still hadn't told anyone about their relationship, not even Goku, and they toned down the affection when he was around, but Tien suspected that Goku knew. He'd stopped pestering Tien to admit his feelings for Sabriena.

Sabriena snickered at him. "Seriously, Goku," she laughed, "don't ask him."

Tien mock-scowled at her.

Sabriena sighed, playfully shoving the puppy away and he bounded back to her again and again. She really didn't like the idea of Goku and Chichi together like that. She gave an involuntary shudder at the thought of that woman naked. "Well, there's the good ol' standby of buying her jewelry. Women are suckers for anything shiny and expensive."

"Speaking from experience, are we?" Tien asked, frowning slightly.

She pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes at him, "Shh!"

Goku chuckled and patted the floor, smiling widely as the little dog bounded over to him. "Hey there boy." He scratched the dog behind his ears, thinking, "True, but I don't have any money to buy her something really nice like that. And if I did that, she would ask why I didn't save it for Goten's college fund." He sighed, smiling down at the dog, "I wonder if she would like a puppy! Or a kitten..." He thought about it some more, "Maybe not..." He couldn't hardly think straight lately.

Tien shook his head quickly. "Don't do that. She'd throw a fit if it made a mess." He sat down on the floor with them, watching the floppy-eared puppy as he happily chewed on Goku's fingers. Good lord, he never thought he'd be trying to get into Chichi's head like this. He thought back to when he was trying to win Sabriena over, that night she let him rub her back, how she later admitted she'd made him stop because she was afraid of going too far with him. "Why not give her a massage?" Tien suggested. "That might work."

Goku looked up at Tien, "I tried that. She's always complaining she's sore from working all day long. She wouldn't let me." He patted the dog, wondering if someone else might have some different ideas. It seemed he and Tien were on the same wave length here and Sabriena's ideas of romance were still a bit superficial and expensive. "I'll probably have to go ask Gohan. Maybe Lindsey has some ideas too." He chuckled, "Didn't know it was this hard to make everything work out the way its supposed to go! I've gotta get it right at some point! Gramma's cards said I would!"

Sabriena cocked an eyebrow. "Gramma read your tarot?" She couldn't help but wonder what Gramma had seen in the cards. That old woman seemed to know everything as it was - if she was using the cards on him, she must've seen something really insightful. "Did she really say something about you and Chichi? What'd she tell you?" Sabriena asked, far more interested in this than she should've been.

Goku thought back about what Gramma had said about Chichi. "Well. She found this queen card that looked a lot like Chichi, had the frown lines and everything. And then there was a death card, which doesn't actually mean someone's dying! It just means change is coming. What a relief that was. I sort of panicked for a minute when I saw it. And then the last card was the lovers card." He smiled at Sabriena, "So, I think it means something is going to change for the better pretty soon. I just have to work hard to figure it out. Have Chichi give me butterflies again and all that."

"Hmm," Sabriena said, raising her eyebrows. It certainly did sound that way. She hoped that Chichi would start being nicer to Goku. He deserved a wife who treated him well. "Sounds like Gramma saw something there." Tien wasn't sure what these cards were, but he had learned not to question Gramma. "Well, she seems to know what she's talking about, so if that's what she said then I hope it works for ya."

Sabriena bumped Goku with her elbow and winked at him. "You got this. Go get 'er, tiger," she teased. Good god, she was going to have to scrub her mouth out; it made her sick.

Goku chuckled and moved to stand up, ruffling Sabriena's silky blonde hair. He withdrew his hand, trying not to frown. Chichi never wore her hair down and certainly didn't want him to touch it. "Thanks, both of you. I'm glad I have you guys to listen to me. I know it must get old sometimes, me coming here all the time."

"Oh whatever," Sabriena scoffed. "I need you around here. Tien's too serious."

"Watch it, missy," Tien warned. "I'll up your training again."

"See?" Sabriena said to Goku. She looked back at Tien, wrinkling her nose playfully at him. "You just proved my point, Mr. Shinhan."

Goku chuckled at them as they made faces at each other. He stretched as he stood, snickering at the little puppy who pounced on his boots and started chewing away. "Better keep a close eye on that one! He's feisty!" He waved at them, "Thanks again!" He pressed his fingers to his forehead and appeared inside the living room of his son's house the next instant. "Lindsey! You home!?" He called out.

"Jesus, Dad, ya scared me!" she laughed, walking into the living room. She'd been trying to clean up the house while Phoenix finally took a nap. She suddenly understood why Jenny hadn't wanted to get out much when Paige was a newborn. She was exhausted. "Oh, god, I look like hell," she muttered, slicking her frizzy red curls back in a ponytail and frowning at her dirty shirt. She looked back up at him, hoping she didn't look as tired as she felt. "You come to try and steal the baby again?" she joked.

He laughed. "I keep trying but you never let me get far! Why don't you go take a bath or something? I don't mind watching the little one." He rubbed the back of his neck, smiling goofily at her. "And I actually wanted to ask you a few things about... ah, you know… Romantic stuff. I'm thinking I want to make a special night for Chichi," he said hesitantly. He moved to sit on the couch, "Sabriena said I should think about buying her some jewelry, but I don't have that kind of money and you know how Chichi is. If I got that money, why didn't I put it towards the grocery bill or towards Goten's college."

Lindsey rolled her eyes and nodded. "Yeah, that sound exactly like something she would say," she agreed as she sat on the couch next to him. "And I just might take you up on that offer for a bath."

She sat back and sighed, racking her brain. "Romantic stuff... Leave it to Sabriena to suggest jewelry." Like Sabriena, though, she didn't much like the idea of Goku and Chichi being together that way. She shoved the mental image from her mind. "Have you tried flowers? Candles? Kind'a, you know, set the mood. Maybe cook her a romantic dinner or something. Do you cook? You don't cook... Hmmm." She chewed the corner of her mouth thoughtfully, wondering if anything could possibly get Chichi to warm up to someone.

Goku threw his head back and laughed, "Have you seen me in the kitchen? I can't do anything right. Then I end up breaking those fancy glasses Chichi likes having around. I was thinking about ordering dinner from somewhere. I'm not sure. But candles and flowers? That sounds nice. You think she would like roses? Or should I do something more, um, not traditional?" He chuckled, already thinking about a candlelit dinner and maybe some candles in the bedroom.

She stretched, thinking it over. "Can't go wrong with roses," she smiled. "I'm a sucker for yellow roses, but you'll probably wanna go with red. Oh! I know!" she said, snapping her fingers, "I can burn you a CD with some romantic music on it!" She stopped and snickered, "But NOT the kind of music Piccolo tried to use with Jenny. Good god, I heard about that fiasco. You could play it during dinner or something. Do you dance? Maybe you could get her to dance with you in the living room or something. Gohan dances with me..." She blushed suddenly at the admission, feeling a bit silly. Was it silly to dance together in the house, just the two of them? Ah well, it always made her melt.

Goku blushed and looked down, "I never tried. Chichi says I would step on her feet or something. Do you think you could show me? If, you know, that wouldn't be too weird."

Lindsey smiled widely at him. "I can teach you to dance! It won't be weird at all."

He laughed, he was getting some good ideas already. Music, roses, dinner, "This is great, Lindsey. Thanks for helping me figure this out. Would it be alright if you watched Goten for a night when I decide to do this? Don't want to scar him!"

"Yeah, we'll watch him," Lindsey answered with a yawn. "I don't mind. As long as it's a weekend night so Gohan can help me. Damn school..."

He smiled at her. "Go get your hot bath, then we can figure out if I have two left feet or not."

She jumped up, excited at the thought of getting to relax in a bath for a little bit. "Phoenix is upstairs in his crib. You know where everything is. Just holler at me if you need me. Thanks, Dad!" She planted a quick kiss on his cheek and hurried up the stairs to the master bath.

She was going over some dance steps in her head as she ran a bath and finally got to sink into the hot water. Oh fuck, that felt good. She let her mind go blissfully blank for a little bit, enjoying the quiet before she started thinking about dancing again. She didn't really know any formal steps or anything too fancy, but she could teach him enough to get by with a couple slow dances.

She and Gohan had been talking lately about his parents. It seemed like they had been rather unhappy with each other lately. Well, truth be told, it had seemed like Chichi was always unhappy, but Goku was just now starting to catch on. Lindsey couldn't blame him for trying to put that spark back. She hated her mother-in-law and wanted better for her dad (she always separated them like that in her head), but she wasn't sure she wanted to see him so heartbroken if their marriage did end.

She stayed in the bath for a long time until she started to feel guilty for making Goku wait and she finally made herself get out. She pulled on fresh clothes and slicked her wet hair up into a ponytail before she headed down the stairs. She smiled when she eventually made it back to the living room - Goku was stretched out on the couch with Phoenix on his chest. The tiny baby had his head raised, staring intently at his Grandpa, his little fingers grabbing Goku's chin as he blew drooling raspberries.

"Ewwww baby spit," Lindsey teased, moving to sit on the new coffee table. _'Third one in a year,'_ she thought to herself. She leaned over towards Phoenix, wrinkling her nose at him, making him laugh. She wiped his chin, shaking her head before she looked at Goku. "So have you ever danced before at all?" she asked.

Goku set Phoenix in his playpen, handing the baby a rattle. He stood up and stretched before looking sheepishly at his daughter. "Ah... No, not really. Unless you count Beltane, but we were just being silly then," he laughed.

"That's okay. It's easy," she grinned as she turned on some music in the stereo.

He listened to the music she put on the stereo, the soft tunes were just what he had in mind to romance Chichi; she was going to love this. He was feeling better already, his heart lifting at the thought of making things right with his wife again.

Lindsey stepped closer to him. "Okay, so, gimme your hands," she said, feeling a little bit silly, but this was important to him. "Left hand on my waist, there. And your right hand holds my hand." She stood up a little straighter, resting her free hand on his shoulder. "We'll start off simple. Just step, side-to-side, with the music. Okay?"

Goku blinked, his face focused and attentive and he gave a nod. He looked down, trying to watch his feet to match hers. He accidentally stepped too close and nearly tripped on her feet. "Oops, sorry! Let me try again!" He wrapped his arm more securely around her, gently curling his hand around hers and started again. "Told you I had two left feet."

Lindsey laughed. "You're fine! It just takes a little practice." They moved again, stepping with the music, Goku still looking down at his feet. She tipped his chin up to meet her eyes. "Look at me, not the floor. You're not gonna win her over if you're staring at your feet all night. Keep good eye contact." It felt a little weird, being the one to teach him something like this. She was used to him telling her what to do, how to stand or move when they sparred. "I should'a made you do a father-daughter dance with me when I married Gohan."

Goku chuckled and looked at her, smiling at her. "Maybe we can make up for that if I get really good at this."

"This is making up for it," she answered. They danced for a bit more until he was moving in sync with her and had stopped glancing down at his feet. "Okay, let's try something a little fancier."

"Uh, like what?" he asked, still feeling a little awkward.

"Dip me," she answered and laughed when he blinked at her. "Don't worry. You're so strong, there's no way you'll drop me. Just follow my lead." She took a step back, sliding her hand down his arm to grab his hand, then turned slowly, raising her arms up over her head and crossing her arms over her chest, still holding both of his hands. "Now let go with this hand," she said, letting go of him, "and spin her away. But not too hard! Don't want her to fall." Although, secretly, Lindsey thought it would be hilarious to see Chichi fall on her ass. But she wouldn't sabotage Goku like that, and she let him spin her away from him.

Goku was nervous, his grip on her hand a little stronger than was necessary. "Like this?" he asked, his arm extended, not knowing what to do next.

"Mmhmm," she answered with a nod. "Now pull her back in," she said, waiting until she felt his arm pull at her and she spun, releasing his hand, taking the steps slowly. "Then catch her with both hands," she instructed, smiling as his arms wrapped around her back, "and lean her back for a dip."

"Hey, I did it!" Goku grinned, his confidence growing as he pulled her to stand back up.

"I knew you could," she answered. "Now, let's try it a little faster."

They tried it again and again, Goku only faltering a couple times, until he finally got it down, leading her in the dance instead of the other way around.

She giggled when he dipped her again. "See? You can do this!" She beamed at him. This was nice, dancing with her dad. She was mad at herself for not thinking of it at the wedding. But this more than made up for it.

The front door banged and she jumped and froze for just a second as Gohan stepped into the house. "OW!" she cried as Goku stepped on her toe and Gohan looked at them with a curious look on his face.

Goku went pale and helped her to the couch. "Oh gosh! Are you alright?!" He was worried, " oh Lindsey! I'm so sorry! If I do that to Chichi, she is going to kill me." He was blushing so badly, reaching for her bare foot and carefully massaging it.

"That was my fault," she said, flexing her toes a bit. "I stopped moving. Seriously, not your fault."

"What are you doing?" Gohan chuckled.

"Teaching your dad to dance," she answered, leaning over and grabbing her foot for a moment.

Gohan looked amused as he flopped down on the couch beside her. "You okay?"

She nodded and stood back up, pulling Goku to the middle of the room again, even though he still looked terribly worried. She felt bad, like she'd broken his confidence. "You're all right, Dad," she reassured him. "That's why we're going to practice. And I will warn you next time before I stop."

Gohan yawned and stretched, leaning back more into the couch. "So, uh, any reason WHY you're teaching Dad to dance?"

Lindsey laughed, taking Goku's hand again. "So he can seduce your momma," she teased.

Gohan groaned and rubbed at his face, pushing his glasses up on his fingertips. Bad mental images. Very, very bad.

Goku laughed at the embarrassed look that Gohan gave him. "Hey, just trying to figure out a way to impress her. She's been so upset about the whole war thing, I wanted to do something special for her." He wrapped Lindsey back into his arms and tried again, his confidence growing as they practiced.

"Yeah, I know," Gohan answered, kicking off his shoes. He frowned at the dark blue scrubs he wore. "I probably shouldn't be sitting on the couch in these. I've been in clinicals all day."

"Ah, you're fine," Lindsey said, swaying with the music.

Goku wasn't paying attention to their conversation. He was too concerned with concentrating on his steps, thinking about the night he was planning. "Gosh, I wonder how I talk her into dancing with me. Do I just start the music? And do I do it before or after dinner?"

"You should play the music during dinner and then ask her to dance when you're done eating," Lindsey answered.

Gohan couldn't help but smile as he watched his wife teaching his dad to dance. Even though she didn't get along with Chichi, she was still trying to help his dad save his marriage. He'd noticed the coldness between them as of late. He'd been a bit worried about them, but maybe something like this was exactly what they needed.

"We'll come up with a plan," Lindsey went on. "Then when you're done dancing she'll be all, you know, swoon and BAM. That's when you... well... ya know." She closed her eyes, feeling her face go a bit hot, and giggled again. Really, it was very sweet, what Goku was trying to do for his wife.

Goku chuckled, "I know, it's awkward, I appreciate this you guys." He twirled her around once more. "I just need to figure out what to get for dinner. Fish is my favorite, but she doesn't care a whole lot for it. Maybe a stir fry or something she doesn't get very often. Oh! And chocolate. I know she likes chocolate!"

"Can't go wrong with chocolate," Lindsey winked. "Oh! Gohan, remember those chocolate covered strawberries you got me? Where'd you get those?"

"Just at a little shop there in town," he answered, thinking of the small town that was just a few miles up the road. "They weren't expensive or anything, either. You could pick some of those up when you order dinner or something, Dad. Just grab Mom some stir fry from that little restaurant she likes."

Goku was feeling better already. "Thanks so much you guys. I'll have to babysit more often to make up for this. I'll have to do this soon, maybe this weekend or the next." He smiled at them, "Would that work for you guys?"

"That's fine," Lindsey answered. "We're watching Goten," she explained at her husband's questioning look.

"Oh! Yeah, whenever you wanna do it, Dad," Gohan said. "We love having him here. Plus he keeps Phoenix entertained."

"Those two are gonna be trouble when Phoenix learns to walk and talk," Lindsey said, going over to the playpen and looking down at the baby who smiled up at her. "Trouble. Pure trouble, I tell ya!" she grinned, making faces at him again. She looked at Goku again, "How about Friday? You'll have to figure out how to get everything set up without Chichi seeing ya, though, so you can surprise her."

Goku grinned. "That would be great."

"Okay," Lindsey said as she stood up straight and headed towards the kitchen, "let's make you a list and a game plan so you can have everything perfect. Come on, I'll make us a snack while we brainstorm."

"All right, food!" Goku laughed. This was fantastic. Everything was falling into place. He just knew this would work. It had to.


	4. Gettin' Some Tail

Bulma creaked open the door to the bedroom and smiled as she heard the shower running in the private bathroom. Good. Vegeta was already here, his training sessions done for the day. She'd been thinking about this for awhile; Vegeta had been training nonstop for the coming war. She wanted to reward him for his hard work, to show her prince that she admired what he did. He was working to protect her, their children, their friends, the whole planet. They didn't know for sure what was coming, but if that last battle was only a taste of what was to come, then he needed to be prepared.

Bulma stripped her clothes off and grabbed the shopping bag she'd hidden under their bed. She pulled out the new racy red lingerie she'd bought and slipped it on, admiring herself in the mirror at the way it clung to her curves. She set the bottle of massage oil on the bedside table and opened the other package, pulling out a silver egg-shaped device with a cord and remote attached. Her hand trembled a bit with nervousness. She'd never tried something like this with him and she wasn't sure how he'd react to it. But she wanted to try something new. She popped the batteries into the remote and clicked it on, nearly dropping it as the little egg vibrated harder in her hand than she'd been expecting. She gave an excited little giggle and turned it off, stashing it under the pillow where he wouldn't see it.

She gave a little jump when she heard the shower turn off and she quickly folded back the blankets and climbed onto the bed, laying in a sexy pose on her side as Vegeta walked into the bedroom, his naked body still dripping wet as he rubbed at his hair with a towel.

He paused when he saw her there and a smirk pulled at his lips as he drank in the vision of his wife. "Well isn't this a pleasant surprise?" he asked in a low voice, his eyes roaming over her slender figure. He dried himself off and cast the towel aside, climbing onto the bed with her. He cocked an eyebrow at her. "And just what is your devilish little mind planning this evening?"

She smirked right back at him. "Why don't you lay down and find out?" she suggested. She reached for the bottle of oil as he rolled to lay on his chest. She straddled his hips and drizzled the oil down his spine, then set the bottle aside and smeared her hand across his back. She loved the feel of his warm muscles under her hands, feeling the occasional rough scar here and there on his back from years of battle.

Vegeta gave a low, contented groan as his mate worked the oil into his sore muscles. After the hot shower and now this, he knew he'd sleep well that night. He nearly dozed off until her fingers brushed over the sensitive tail scar on his back, waking his body to her touch once again. "Oh, so it's that kind of massage, is it?" he asked.

"Yes it is, my prince," she answered, leaning over to nibble at his ear for a moment. She used the opportunity to slide her hand under the pillow and retrieve the little vibrating egg she'd hidden there.

Vegeta glared one-eyed at it, his face still pressed to the pillow. "What on earth is that thing?" he asked warily.

"Just a little something to help with your massage," she purred, clicking it on. She trailed it down his back, watching in amusement as his muscles twitched from the vibration. She circled it around his scar, not touching it yet, letting him think about it for a minute.

Vegeta started breathing heavier, his fingers curling around the pillow under his face, his cock hardening against the mattress. The toy vibrated around the edge of his scar, sending electrifying jolts through his body. He shivered in anticipation of what it would feel like to have that sensation against his scar. He watched her over his shoulder, his eyes half-lidded with want, need. His whole body keened as she finally let the vibrator come to rest in the center of his scar, making his cock twitch and ache for her touch. He lifted his hips slightly off the bed, groaning as Bulma's hand reached between his legs to stroke his cock.

Bulma stroked the heavy flesh slowly, sliding the skin over the hot steel of his cock. She could feel herself getting wet, her core starting to throb at the feel of him in her hand. She bit her lip as her thumb brushed teasingly over the tip of his erection, spreading the tantalizing drop of moisture around the blunt head, making Vegeta hiss through his teeth. Still lightly touching the scar with the toy, Bulma laid on her back with her face under Vegeta's hips and ran her tongue up and down his cock, softly kissing the head of it as it smeared more pre-cum across her lips. A thin, steady stream continued to drip from it as she wiggled the toy against his scar.

Vegeta lowered his hips, moaning as he started to fuck her warm, welcoming mouth, his movements slow and restrained. He wanted to make this last, but he wasn't sure how long his will would hold out. He braced himself on his forearms, dipping his cock in and out of her mouth as she pressed her tongue against his cock, letting him take control of the speed. She pressed the little vibrator harder against his scar, drawing a low, rumbling purr from his throat. Bulma grabbed his ass with her free hand, raking her nails down his skin, making him growl. "Harder!" he commanded, his voice raw and harsh. He was panting hard, his mouth hanging open, trying to suck in enough air to calm himself a bit so he wouldn't lose control. His eyes rolled in the back of his head as he thrust into her mouth a little faster.

Bulma pressed the vibrator against his scar, digging it in, wiggling it in little circles. She felt him grow even harder in her mouth and she began to suck at him, drawing him into her mouth, swallowing the small amounts of cum that had already dripped into her throat. Her nails dug into his firm flesh... Oh gods, she wanted to please him, her prince. The only thing in the world that mattered to her at that moment was satisfying him, pleasuring him, giving him the most mind-blowing orgasm she possibly could. She sucked him harder, pressing her tongue against his cock, milking him with her mouth.

That device his mate was digging into his scar was driving him absolutely insane. A sudden thought struck him and he thought about what it would be like to have his tail back. He could just imagine what it would be like for her to run it up and down the entire length of his tail, teasing...gentle... driving him absolutely insane... an urge to mate with her as his tail curled around her waist. He couldn't stop the gasp that escaped his mouth as she sucked on him harder; his vision was narrowing from such intense sensations being showered on him. "Oh gods, woman," he breathed, "You're going… to need… ngh… a reward for this." He looked down at her, her lips stretched around him. The sight made him shudder and his voice was husky as he spoke again. "You want to taste your prince, don't you? You want me." He wanted it, too, to feast upon her mouth. "You will swallow it, but you save the last bit you greedy whore. I want to… mmmmm… taste myself on your lips and know it is me you hunger for."

Bulma moaned at his words. If he called her that at any other time, she'd slap him square in the face, but in the bedroom... Yes. She would be a whore for him. She'd show him what a whore was. She buried her face against the dark patch of hair between his hips, suckling him for all she was worth. She pressed the vibrator against his scar as hard as she could, her body squirming beneath him. She was so wet, aching for him. She wanted to drink from his body, to swallow every last delicious drop, to feel that hot liquid splash across her tongue and down her throat. She trailed her hand down between his legs, curling her fingers around the soft flesh there, gently squeezing them, pulling lightly at them. She heard him hiss at her touch and rolled them in her fingers. How much more could he hold back?

She soon found out as Vegeta couldn't hold back any longer and with one... two more thrusts... the way Bulma pressed the toy against him … the way her sweet mouth milked him... It was too much and he roared as his orgasm washed over him, pressing his cock deeply down his mate's throat, nearly sobbing at the sensations. He rocked his hips as he came, Bulma's throat contracting around him as she swallowed every last drop from him. He wilted over her, already plotting her sweet reward, a smirk tugging at his lips. He pushed back a moment later, pulling from her lips with a pop. He pulled her up to him where he captured her lips, still dripping with his essence and he devoured her in a bruising kiss, drinking himself from her, owning her.

Bulma clung to his shoulders, pressing her body up against him. His mouth was hot and sweet as she slid her tongue against his, moaning into the kiss. She wanted him; her body ached for him. She lifted her hips against his, but he simply pressed back, pinning her to the bed as he continued to kiss her fiercely. She reached up and tangled her fingers into the black spikes of his hair, her other hand still gripping his strong shoulder. His muscles were firm and hot, a light sheen of sweat had broken out over his body. The little vibrator was still buzzing beside them on the bed and Bulma couldn't stop the thought that pressed its way into her mind. _'BEST. PURCHASE. EVER.'_

Satisfied he had thoroughly kissed her, he pulled back, smiling at her, then mischievously looked to the still vibrating little toy. He carefully picked it up by the string and brought it closer to his face looking at it for a moment before he smirked at his wife and moved down, leaning nose to nose with her, he let his hand with the vibrator move to her breast, circling a nipple. "You've been a good girl. Would you like me to reward you?" he asked as he leaned down and nipped at her neck where he had left the mating mark on her several years ago. At her nod he chuckled and slid down the bed until he was at the apex of her thighs, teasingly rubbing the little toy around her sex, before using his thumb and forefinger on his free hand to hold her open to him. Without a second thought, he pushed the toy into her slick folds, mesmerized by the way her body accepted it, pushing it in with his middle finger. He descended on her, ignoring her cries, and wrapped his lips around her clitoris and sucked it, periodically moving down to lap at the juices dripping from her.

"Vegeta," she moaned, wrapping her legs around his neck. She lifted her hips against his face, snarling her fingers in his hair once more. Oh gods... His tongue twirled around her, making her ache inside, the toy vibrating her core. "Oh, my prince," she hissed as his tongue flicked against her clit, driving her mad with desire. "More, please, more." One of her hands moved to her breast, gripping it, pinching the hardened nipple, making her cry out again.

Vegeta reached up, moving to the neglected breast twirling his finger around it before mimicking her movements and pinching it, twisting it, marveling as rolled the nub between his fingers. He moaned against her damp curls and buried his face in to them, his nose nuzzling against them, his tongue, lips, his mouth drinking so deeply from her. He nipped at her flesh gently, circling his tongue around her clit once more before he moved down and thrust his tongue inside of her, lapping at the delicious nectar that spilled across his tongue. He was ravenous. The more he tasted the, more he wanted, and he tried to push himself further, his tongue catching the vibrations of the little toy deep inside of her.

Bulma writhed against him, her breath hitching in her chest; oh GODS that man knew what he was doing. She groaned low in her throat... gasping... whining... She was so close. She could feel it building within her. Vegeta's impossibly hot mouth consumed her, the little toy vibrating deep within her body, his hand, her hand, clutching at her breasts. Little stars popped in her eyes as she felt him suck at her lips, his tongue delving deeply into her. Her whole body began to tremble, her orgasm so close. "My prince," she gasped, "may I come? Please?!"

Vegeta smirked against her, looking up at her with hooded eyes, seeing her coming apart at the seams. By the gods he loved that. Catching her eyes as he swirled his tongue around her once more, feeling the way she bucked up into his touch, he nodded at her, grinning widely as she keened against him, her face blooming with red as she came with force. He suckled her, moving his free hand to rub her clit as she came, the liquid that spilled from her the sweetest yet and just for him. He didn't stop until she stopped writhing against him. When she was boneless against the bed, he finally pulled away, licking his lips and using his hand to wipe away the liquid on his face before he lapped that up as well. Looking down at her still twitching body with satisfaction, he reached down and tugged the ingenious little toy from her body, still slick with her juices. He trailed it up her body, licking behind the path it made until he was laying on top of her holding the little toy to her lips, leaning down to lick it clean.

Her tongue flicked out to meet his, tasting herself on the toy, on his tongue, his lips. She smiled up at him. "So what'd you think?" she asked.

Vegeta smirked at her and set the toy aside, gathering her in his arms and nuzzling his nose against her mark, "I think we should use that more often. What an incredible, dirty mind you have." His tongue flicked out, tasting his mark on her before nibbling at it affectionately. He paused for only a moment before he boldly stated, "I want my tail back, woman."

Bulma jumped and blinked at him. "W-What? But Vegeta, why? Are you sure? I don't even know if that's possible!" Her husband had lost his mind. Even if she could restore it, it was a weak point in battle and he knew they were coming into a war. And besides that, there was still the full moon to address.

Vegeta laid there for a moment. He wanted it back, just for her. He knew what she was thinking about: the full moon. As long as he didn't expose himself to moonlight, didn't look into it, he wouldn't transform. What he wanted it for were purely selfish reasons. He had never taken a mate when he had it and now that he had the perfect mate, his princess, his goddess, he wanted nothing more, "Yes. I am sure. I don't know how to get it back other than wishing on those blasted dragonballs. And yes, I know I'd have to stay out of the moonlight." He grinned at her, cupping her breast possessively, "Guess you'll have to occupy me that entire day and night, hmm?" He laid his head back down, curling around her and pressing his lips to her hair. He hated explaining his wants and needs. It made him feel silly and vulnerable, an emotion he despised. But his wife always listened, always understood, and always did her best to help him in any way she could. He sighed, his voice deep, "You are my mate, Bulma. Do you understand what that means? You would be the only one I trusted to touch that part of me and not use it to control me." The words he said to her, no one else would ever hear, for her alone, "Mates on my planet, usually have their tails to do the talking for their affections. Do you understand?"

She tipped her head, staring at him in the low light of their bedroom. She licked her lips nervously. "I... I think so. I mean, if your reaction is anything like when I touch your scar..." She searched his eyes, her own widening just a bit as she saw the longing there. She knew how dangerous it could be if he had his tail back. "I don't think we can spare a wish right now, Vegeta," she said softly. "The war is coming. And we can only use the dragonballs once a year. If anyone was killed..." It pained her to tell him no. She never, ever wanted to deny him anything. "There's got to be another way. If this is what you truly want, I will help you."

Vegeta nodded, "I know battle is approaching. I wouldn't waste a wish on this." He pulled her closer, laying his head on her shoulder, staring off into space, just past her breast and a pert nipple. Though he didn't remind her if he fell in battle this time, no wish would bring him back a second time. He did wonder if there was another way for him to regain his tail.

Bulma wrapped her arm around his shoulders, lightly tracing the lines of muscles there and pressed her lips to his forehead. "It's not a silly notion if it's something you want," she said softly. "There's got to be something. Maybe Jenny would know a spell or something. Or one of the girls would."

Vegeta raised his eyebrows at that. Now there was an idea. He smirked at the possibility that one of his girls might be able to figure something out. Jenny was probably the better choice; Catie took little interest in her magick other than using it as a weapon in battle.

He frowned the next moment, and uncertainty in his voice as he spoke again, "Maybe. Are you certain you can handle it if I get my tail back, woman?" He absentmindedly stroked at the soft skin just below her breast, thinking what it would be like for him to have his tail back. Even if he did transform, he would be able to stay in control. Whereas Goku and Gohan had turned into raging, mindless beasts when they transformed before they lost their tails, Vegeta was trained to control that form. Although it had been many years since he had done it, that was the sort of thing a person doesn't forget. He couldn't deny the excitement starting to course through his veins. He could keep his tail wrapped around him in battle and it wouldn't be an issue.

"It wouldn't hurt to ask," Bulma said. "And, unfortunately, without a lot more research it's the only idea I've got."

Vegeta snorted, it was still better than no idea at all. He kissed at her shoulder, turning her away from him, slipping his hand down her body to caress at her still slick folds gently, pressing a kiss to her neck and to her ear where he bit lightly at her lobe, "You didn't answer my question, Bulma."

A small gasp escaped her lips at his touch, desire flaring in her again. "I don't know," she breathed, "would it be so different than now? You know I want to please you..."

He purred into her ear, "Oh but you do please me." He thought on it a moment. No, nothing would really change at all. He would still be him. His fingers left her center and he lifted up her leg and draped it back over his waist before he thrust into her, grunting in relief as her velvety heat engulfed him. He reached out to where the toy had lain forgotten and plucked it up, moving to hold it against her clit as he began to slowly thrust into her, thinking a moment more. "No it wouldn't change much." He shuddered at the thought of using it to make love to her, maybe at the same time as he was deep inside of her... oh... how would that feel... "It could be very interesting."

Bulma moaned again as Vegeta's hard length slid into her, filling her completely. The vibrations pulsing against her most sensitive spot had her seeing stars within just a couple short minutes. She didn't think she would ever get over how incredibly big he was, how hard he was, how thick. She loved how animalistic he could be. Her mind wandered for a moment, wondering if he would be more so after he got his tail back. She wanted to stroke it, play with it, feel it caress her skin as they made love or fucked, whichever he was in the mood for. She thrust against him, crying out his name.

Vegeta brought his free hand up to lightly grip at her throat, feeling her swallow against his hand, feeling her cries of pleasure. He continued to thrust into her at a relaxed pace, enjoying her body, savoring it, simply because he could. Because she would let him. It was only when he felt her clenching at him tightly, the way the pitch of her moans changed, he knew she was close and he tossed the little device onto the bed and pressed his calloused fingers to her, groaning at the slick feel of her against him. He brought her pleasure just as she pleased him. He wanted to make sure she was thoroughly pleased as well. His nose brushed her ear, as he whispered, "Come, my princess. Come for your prince."

She gave a shuddering sigh at his words, his breath hot against her neck. His fingers pressed against her, warmer than any toy could ever be, teasing her to the point of climax. Her body tightened, making Vegeta's cock seem even bigger, if that were possible. A long, low groan issued from Bulma's mouth as she felt herself going over that edge, the groan turning to a scream of pleasure as white-hot bliss ripped through her system. Oh how she loved the things he did to her body. She shivered, panting, relaxing around him. "Oh my god... Vegeta..." she breathed.

Vegeta shuddered in response, leaning down and biting lightly at her shoulder as his orgasm washed over him as Bulma's body clenched, squeezed his cock, pulling every last drop from him. He kept rocking into her until they both stopped trembling and he pulled away from her, utterly spent, rolling on to his back panting and staring up at the ceiling. It was a good kind of spent. He smirked and looked over at her. He reached out and tugged her until she was draped over him, enjoying her warmth and sweat slicked body. Oh, he was going to find a way to get his tail back. Come Hell or high water, he was getting it back.

Author's Note: Please review and let me know what you think! Thanks everyone!


	5. Big Brass Bed

Chichi pulled the last piece of laundry from the clothesline and folded it, placing it neatly in her basket. She'd been cleaning and doing her chores all day long, grumbling to herself how she had to do everything on her own. Gohan had picked Goten up earlier that day, saying he just wanted to spend some time with his little brother, so at least she had the day off from watching him. Gods, that boy wore her out. She brushed the hair from her face and carried her basket back into the house. "Why is it so dark in here?" she asked as she stepped inside, looking around. She saw her husband in the kitchen, the table set and candles glowing in the center. "Goku, what on earth?"

Goku turned around, smiling at Chichi. He had music turned down low, playing a soft, beautiful melody. He was almost finished getting the food on the plates. There was a fresh bouquet of roses sitting on Chichi's chair and an amazing little box of chocolate covered strawberries next to her plate. "Hey, Chichi!" he beamed. He set the containers of food to the side and came to take the laundry basket from her. "I wanted to do something special for you. Dinner's almost ready; you can go freshen up if you want. It's your favorite from that little bistro in town."

He was nervous and giddy, thinking over his plans for the evening. He'd spent the past week going over to Gohan's house, practicing his dancing with Lindsey, and we was feeling pretty confident about it now. The piece of paper they'd written out was still in his pocket, the paper crinkled so much it felt soft to the touch, he'd looked it over so many times. Chichi's favorite meal from the restaurant, the roses, the strawberries, the music, all of it planned out so that he wouldn't forget anything.

She blinked at the table, not letting him take the basket from her hands. She was completely caught off guard. What on earth was he trying to do? "O-Okay," she said uncertainly. She stared at the table for a moment before she headed up the stairs, taking the basket with her. She took her time to put the laundry away, wondering what had gotten into Goku. He must've done something wrong and was trying to make up for it. That had to be it. Why else would he go to such extremes like this? He had never been romantic like this before. She washed her hands and fixed her hair, checking her makeup before she went back downstairs. She cocked an eyebrow at him and crossed her arms over her chest. "All right. Let's hear it. What'd you do now?"

Goku chuckled, setting a plate in her place at the table, moving to sit across from her with his own plate, smiling warmly at her. "Nothing, Chichi. I wanted to do something special for you. Gohan even agreed to watch Goten for the night so we can spend some time together, just the two of us. I know you have been stressed and upset about my training lately, so tonight is just about you and me."

Oh lord, this was probably just a ploy to get sex. Still, the roses were pretty and he did manage to remember what she liked to order from the restaurant. She moved the roses from the chair and set them on the counter before she sat down at the table. Wasn't this what she had been wanting, begging him for, for all these years? For him to pay attention to her, to romance her... And now she suddenly found herself not interested. She frowned a bit as she looked down at her plate, but picked up her chopsticks and began to eat. At least she didn't have to cook that night. "I don't really know what to say," she muttered, not looking at him.

Goku chuckled and dug into his own meal, remembering to swallow before he spoke to her. "You don't have to say anything, Chichi. I want this night to be about you, whatever you want. And I was thinking, maybe after dinner you would like to dance? I learned how to. I mean, I practiced on my own. I can't do anything fancy, but I can do a slow dance with you." He felt hopeful; she hadn't yelled at him yet, she seemed surprised and amazed. He could feel his stomach fluttering at the look on her face.

She looked up at him, her eyes wide. "Dance?" she cried, almost biting back a laugh. "Goku, we don't dance!" What on earth had gotten into him? Where was the real Goku? He never had shown an interest in dancing before. How had he been practicing on his own? She gave her head a slight shake, trying to clear her mind. Where on earth did he plan on taking her dancing? "I'm not dressed to go out dancing!" she protested.

Goku smiled at her and leaned back, reaching over to the stereo and turned the music up slightly, the beautiful notes filling the air. "We aren't going any where. You can dance in your bathrobe for all I care; you're always beautiful to me." He felt nervous, pushing his plate back as he saw she had finished eating and he stood up, offering his hand to her. "May I?"

"Goku," she protested, looking at his hand. Goddammit. She'd asked for this and now she really didn't want it. Of all times for him to actually listen to her. She heaved a sigh, rolling her eyes, and grabbed his hand, standing up with him. She didn't recognize the song, the voice over the stereo was singing about a man asking a woman to stay with him or some such nonsense... She nearly cringed as Goku slid his hand around her waist, pulling her closer to him. They hadn't been intimate, in any form, for several months. And Chichi was perfectly happy to leave it like that. She didn't feel a need to be intimate. She felt her spine go stiff as a poker as he tried to sway her to the music.

It didn't go exactly how he imagined it would go. Unlike Lindsey, Chichi wouldn't loosen up and he ended up nearly stepping on her toes. He managed to laugh warmly, "It has been a while, hasn't it? We will have to dance more often, you know." He gently pulled her closer to him, dipping her down to the floor and giving her a spin, just like he practiced. He continued to hold her close, singing softly with the lyrics, the words he'd memorized after practicing dancing to the song so many times, "_Baby, stay with me,  
share all your secrets tonight. We can make believe the morning sun never will rise. Come and lay your head on this big brass bed. We'll be alright as long as you stay with me…"_

Chichi was even more shocked at that. She couldn't remember ever hearing him sing and she was surprised to hear his singing voice was rather pleasant. What was wrong with her? Most women would be melting, swooning at this type of attention from their husbands. But Chichi found herself, well, bored. This wasn't doing it for her and she didn't know why. She felt silly dancing in the kitchen in the candlelight. Normal people didn't do this sort of thing, did they? Normal women weren't married to alien martial artists, though, either, she reminded herself. She felt she owed him a compliment or something – at least he was trying to do what she'd asked him to. "The roses are nice. Thank you," she finally said lamely.

Goku beamed. "I also decorated the bedroom. You know, just because," he said, hoping he didn't sound as eager as he felt. His heart was already starting to pound against his ribcage; he hadn't stepped on her toes and she hadn't cringed when he sang. He was rather proud of himself for that; he hadn't planned on singing.

"The bedroom?" she asked, suddenly standing still as a statue. She didn't even blink when Goku nearly tripped over her feet, trying not to step on her toes. She knew it. He just wanted sex. Typical male. She sighed and turned from him, heading up the stairs to their bedroom. "Oh good heavens," she groaned. There were pillar candles set on the dressers and rose petals scattered across the bed and the floor. She supposed it would've made any other woman fall head over heels. All she saw was candle wax that was dangerously close to dripping on her furniture and tons of rose petals that needed to be picked up. "Oh, Goku, what did you do?"

Goku smiled as he walked up behind her, wrapping her up in his arms. He leaned down and kissed her cheek. "I was thinking maybe you'd let me make love to you. It's only if you want to, Chichi. I just remember saying you wanted to be romanced more and well, this is what I can do," he answered softly. "I thought you might like it if I put in a little more effort and made it romantic for you." He smiled to himself, loving that Chichi was letting him hold her so gently. He turned and kissed her cheek again, speaking softly, "I want to make you feel special."

She tried to force herself to not lean away from his kiss, his breath warm on her cheek. She felt like blowing out the candles and vacuuming up the rose petals, bitching at him about what a mess he'd made. But he was trying so hard to do what she'd been saying she wanted. If she threw that back in his face, it might be the straw that broke the camel's back. And what then? Would he get angry enough to leave her? Her whole world, the image of herself that she'd worked so hard to build, would come crashing down around her ears. She'd threatened him with a divorce. When she'd said it, she hadn't meant it. Not with her whole heart. She had really said it in an attempt to get him to behave the way she thought he should, which didn't involve training. She knew she'd be the laughing stock of the whole town if her marriage fell apart; her friends would see her as a failure, mock her behind her back. She couldn't have that. She... she had to do this. She had to give him something, even if it was just to save face. She turned her face towards him, looking up and forcing a smile onto her face that didn't quite meet her eyes. "If... if you want to..." she said in a small voice.

Goku felt his heart jump as he turned Chichi around, tipping her chin up as he kissed her soundly. His hands trembled a bit as he reached for her hair, gently pulling the tie from it, letting her long raven hair fall down around her shoulders. He carefully worked to help her undress, letting the soft silk of her dress rustle to the floor, before he guided her back to the bed, laying her down upon it. He continued to remove her clothes until she was bare to him. He was hard already, a nervous excitement coursing through him. He cupped one of her breasts, lightly running his thumb over the soft nub of flesh. "You are so beautiful, Chichi," he said, leaning down to kiss her neck.

Chichi bit her lip, cringing, and looked up at the ceiling. She really didn't enjoy this - she didn't understand his need, his want, for sex. Sometimes, though, you had to make sacrifices to keep a marriage together, and she couldn't stand the thought of the ridicule she might face if her husband left her. She drew a long breath through her nose, trying to force herself to relax under his touch, to enjoy the moment somehow. Maybe it would be quick and she could just go to sleep afterwards...

Goku was elated, thinking her sigh of annoyance was one of pleasure, and he quickly stripped down, joining her on the bed. "I'm so sorry we haven't had much time for just us. I want to make it up to you so much. I want to make you feel beautiful tonight." He leaned over her, kissing her soundly before he let his lips seal around the mark on her neck, moaning as he used his fingers to tweak her nipples before he let one hand slip down between her legs.

Chichi shivered as his mouth closed over the mark on her neck. It... it felt cold. She'd never experienced that before. She remembered their wedding night, both of them a bit awkward but following their instincts, knowing what to do. It had been passionate, and in the heated moment of climax, he'd bitten her, marked her as his mate for life and somehow the urge had rubbed off onto her, making her bite him back. At first the mark had brought her pleasure, but over the years, she'd grown to dislike it more and more, always tying a scarf around her neck or wearing dresses with high collars to hide it. But tonight, it felt completely different. Cool in a way that made her stomach swoop painfully. She pulled slightly away, breaking the connection with his lips. She wanted this over with. Her hips squirmed as he touched her. "We... we don't have to do all of this..." she said quietly, trying to mask any harshness in her voice. "Can't we... just get to it? Oh, and don't forget," she said, pointing at his bedside table where the little drawer held a box of condoms. No matter what happened in her marriage, she refused to have another child.

Goku frowned as she told him to put a condom on. He really didn't like those things. They were stifling and they were too tight on him, not letting him feel the slickness of her body. All the sensations seemed dulled. He looked at her questioningly. Her body didn't feel prepared for him quite yet. "You sure you're ready? I thought you would like it if I slowed down and made sure you were taken care of first," he said. He rubbed her thigh, letting his fingers trail up to brush against her sex. "Let me make you come first."

She tried not to shudder at his words. She didn't like it when he spoke so crudely. She swallowed, forcing a smile on her face. "You did so much for me tonight," she said, trying to sound sincere. "You bought me dinner and roses. How... how about we just make sure you're taken care of now?"

Goku gave her a small smile and he nodded, leaning forward to kiss her before he fished out a condom from the drawer and slipped it over his rapidly hardening length. He moved between Chichi's legs, his cock twitching in anticipation. How long had it been? Weeks? Months? It didn't matter now. He grasped his cock carefully, rubbing the folds between her legs, moaning softly as he began to push into her body, "Oh Chichi, you feel so good!"

She bit her lip, her face screwing up. Oh, she didn't like this sensation anymore. Having sex for conceiving a child was one thing. But doing it just for pleasure seemed wrong to her. "Yeah, you too," she squeaked. _'Please hurry and finish, please hurry and finish,'_ she thought to herself over and over. She tensed as she felt him sliding in further. "Goku! That's too much!" she scolded. Damn. She rearranged her features, trying to look pleasant again. "I... I mean... it's just... a little uncomfortable... Not so much, please?" Her skin was crawling, trying to fake her way through being nice to him.

Goku panicked and pulled out all the way. "Oh chichi! I'm sorry! I didn't hurt you did I?" He leaned down, kissing her, "I'll go slower." He pushed in again, making sure not to go in all the way, just letting the first half of his cock slide in before he saw her face wince in pain . He started thrusting shallowly into her, resisting pushing in all the way into her tight heat. She was always like this with him, but he assumed it was normal. Perhaps he was bigger than other men.

"It's okay," she said. She closed her eyes, screwing up her face as she felt him slide in and out of her. She told herself she was trying, but no matter what she tried to think of, she didn't enjoy it. She just wasn't in it, not mentally or emotionally. And that was overriding anything that could possibly make her enjoy this moment. She felt no connection to him, no emotions. There was nothing.

Chichi laid on the bed, staring quietly up at the ceiling, thinking to herself. Why didn't she enjoy it? She knew some women enjoyed sex, but they were whores. Right? That's what she'd always been taught – that sex was dirty and wrong, to enjoy it was a sin, and it was only to be endured in order to have children.

Was she a bad wife because she didn't feel close to him anymore? No, she told herself. She worked hard to fix his meals and clean his house and raise his children. She was a good wife. He was the one who hadn't done his part over the years. It took twenty years for him to finally decide to try to romance her? It all suddenly seemed like too little too late.

Goku slid in and out of her faster and faster, leaning down to cover his wife, sucking hard at the mark on her neck, letting a groan slip out of his mouth as he came, making certain not to thrust in too hard or too deep. He sighed happily as he pulled out of her and fell to the side, his condom heavy with his seed. His pulse was racing; he could've done that over and over again all night long, but he was afraid of pushing his luck. He rolled on his side, reaching over and brushing a strand of hair out of her face. "You were amazing, Chichi," he breathed. He leaned in and planted a soft kiss on her lips.

Chichi swallowed before she opened her eyes to him. "I'm glad you enjoyed it," she said and got up, quickly grabbing her robe from the back of the bedroom door and pulling it tight around her. She was angry with herself for doing this. It wasn't even the full moon (and what a lame excuse that was.) Was it really worth this? Her image, the perfect house with the husband and kids, playing housewife. She was starting to think that perhaps she didn't care as much about what everyone thought of her. She slicked her hair back up into its bun and turned to him. "Why don't you get cleaned up while I take care of all this?" she suggested, gesturing towards the candles and the rose petals that covered the bed and the floor.

Goku chuckled and took off the condom, rolling it up and throwing it in the trash. He yawned loudly, "Come to bed, Chichi; I'll clean it up in the morning." He smiled at her, "besides, it smells so good in here." He patted the empty spot on the mattress next to him, hoping she would lay down and let him hold her. He didn't bother with getting dressed. Goten was out of the house for the night and it was so comfortable to sleep naked.

She shook her head. "I can't possibly sleep knowing that there's housework to do," she answered. She crossed the room to the dresser to blow out the candles before she picked up the little trashcan. She gagged at the sight of the condom and pressed her lips together, dropping to her knees to scoop up the petals on the floor and drop them into the trash.

Goku leaned up, pouting a bit as she busied herself with cleaning up. "Really, Chichi, I don't mind," he said. "I can do it in the morning. Please come lay down with me."

Chichi wasn't sure what to feel. She didn't know if she was feeling anything, actually. She was becoming so detached from the situation, from her husband, even her children. She didn't want to be here anymore. She picked up the rose petals a little quicker, suddenly wanting them out of her sight. She wanted the room back the way it was supposed to be, free of the clutter of the candles and the rose petals, the sickly sweet smell of it all. She felt like she'd lost control, and she despised that feeling. She had no control over her husband, her oldest son, and at that moment she'd lost control of herself and her house. She had to put everything back in order. She just had to.

She finally stood and put the trashcan back where it belonged. "I think I'd like to take a shower first," she said, trying to keep a pleasant tone and expression. "You go ahead and rest. I'll be back to bed soon."

"You want me to join you?" he asked hopefully.

"Oh, uh," she stammered. "No." She mentally slapped herself. She couldn't be hateful to him now, not after all of this. She needed time to think, to decide if she was willing to risk her reputation by leaving her husband of twenty-two years. "I just want to get washed up really quick. I won't be long."

"Okay," he answered, slumping back against the pillows, crossing his arms behind his head and smiling at her as she disappeared into the bathroom. Even though she'd turned him down for a shower together, Goku couldn't stop the huge smile that split his face. This had gone so well. She enjoyed the dinner he'd brought home, she danced with him and he hadn't stepped on her toes, and then she'd let him make love to her. There was no way she could say he wasn't trying now. And she hadn't gotten snarky or hateful with him, either. All in all, Goku reasoned that the night had gone fantastically.

* * *

Author's Note: Is there such thing as an unsexy sexy scene? I think I just created it, if it didn't exist before.


	6. Part of Me

Vegeta walked through the halls of Capsule Corp, following his daughter's energy signal. He thought he knew where he would find her and he was right. She was alone in Bulma's lab, leaned over a table, working on those sketches for the armor she was just beginning to create. He felt a bit awkward; he couldn't remember ever asking her for her help before. But there was no one else he could think of to ask, save for Grandma Arthusia, and he wasn't about to lower himself to asking Kakarot for help getting there, nor would he risk another close encounter with the crazy old witch. He leaned over Jenny's shoulder, smirking because he knew his words were going to irritate her. "That's not going to work."

Jenny grit her teeth together, a smirk pulling at her lips all the same. "Tough cookies, the design for your armor is finished already, this one is for Goku." She turned to look at him, tossing her pencil onto the paper and smirked at her dad. "So, what brings you to the depths of Capsule Corp and into Bulma's lab? Did you want to spar?" Usually she trained with Vegeta in the evenings, this was a little early for him. Surely he couldn't be done with Catie or Trunks lessons.

Vegeta felt uncomfortable. "I... have a favor to ask," he said, the words feeling funny in his mouth. He looked at her, wondering what her reaction would be, if he'd have to give some sort of explanation. Probably. He couldn't imagine her knowing much about Saiyan tails or the scars left behind when they were removed. Unless she'd been talking to Lindsey or Catie; they would have known about it. Who knew what sorts of things women gossiped about? He crossed his arms, squaring his shoulders. "I want my tail back," he stated boldly.

Jenny stared at her father a moment longer. His tail back? Saiyans had tails, born with them if Lindsey's baby was anything to go by, of course. Her father never told her the story about how he lost his tail or when. "So...a tail..." she said hesitantly. "Lindsey told me it's a very private and personal matter to only be shared with mates. You want yours back." She blinked. "Doesn't that mean you'll change during the full moon again? Is that dangerous?"

"It would be for the others," he answered. "Not for me. I've been trained to handle myself if I transform. He sighed as he looked at her. "The other Saiyans; it matters little to them. They don't remember having their tails, or if they do, they certainly weren't old enough to appreciate them. I, however, remember it very distinctly. If only that bumbling oaf hadn't cut it off when I first came here..." He was still furious about that. He could feel his muscles twitching as if the tail was still there. What was it they called it when one loses an appendage? Phantom limbs or some such thing. He'd gotten used to it over the years, learned to ignore it, but now that he was thinking about it, it bothered him again. "And staying out of the moonlight wouldn't be that difficult. It's only one night out of the month. And I have to actually _look_ at the moonlight, not just be in it."

"Really? How come?" Jenny asked, not elaborating on her question. She sort of assumed it was a werewolf like reaction, simply being in the moonlight would cause them to change, even though she knew the comparison was silly. And she certainly wouldn't voice it aloud for fear of insulting him.

"The retinas in our eyes absorb what are known as blutz waves. They're created by the sunlight reflecting off the full moon. They create a reaction in the tail that causes the transformation," he explained.

"What's the transformation like?" she asked, a little breathlessly. "Piccolo once told me that Gohan turned into a huge monkey when he was a little boy and still had his tail."

Vegeta's eye twitched at the word "monkey." Frieza had always used it as a derogatory word when Vegeta was working for him and he despised the term. "Oozaru," he corrected her. "Or commonly referred to as a Great Ape. Our tails resemble that of a monkey, yes, but in body we are more like an ape and our face is similar to that of a baboon. Sort of a combination of the primates here on Earth."

Jenny had a hard time picturing him like that. She just couldn't imagine his handsome face resembling any type of animal. "So what's the benefit of transforming?" she asked. "I mean, you're incredibly powerful already."

"Taking on the Oozaru form increases a Saiyan's power times ten. Even without that, the sheer size is enough to do incredible damage. Most are about twenty-five to thirty feet tall," he answered. A look of longing came over his face. "But it's not about the transformation. It's more than that."

Jenny's face softened at her father's expression. "It really means that much to you?" she asked as she leaned back against the table, tapping her finger against her lips, thinking over what she could do. Repairing it, healing it. It might take a special kind of magick for that.

"Means a lot to me?" Vegeta countered. "Does your arm mean a lot to you? Do the Namek's antennae mean a lot to him? It's part of me. WAS part of me."

Something clicked in Jenny then. This wasn't about power or transformations. This was about Vegeta feeling whole again, being the man, the Saiyan, he was born to be. "I'll see what I can do. It's been a long time since it has been cut hasn't it?" She wondered if the age of the scar would affect her ability to try to heal it. She hadn't been able to heal Leelee's scars with magick and they were relatively fresh. Although, Leelee's scars were created by dragonfire, which was a completely different magick in and of itself.

He gave a long sigh through his nose. How long had it been? He thought back, trying to remember. "Sixteen years?" he asked himself.

"How…" she hesitated. "I mean, no one around you was using magick back then, right? How was it cut off?"

A muscle was working in Vegeta's jaw as he scowled at the floor, remembering the day in perfect detail. "One of Kakarot's friends cut it off with a sword the first time I came to Earth. I was in the Oozaru state, the only way they figured they could stop me was by cutting off my tail. There are other ways, of course, but the idiots either couldn't figure them out or weren't strong enough to manage it," he answered, but did not elaborate on what those other means might have been.

Jenny worried her lip with her teeth, thinking that since it was a mundane blade that had cut off the tail, it might be repairable. "May I see it? I can try and heal it with normal means first and then, and this is what I am suspecting we might need to do, I'll have to call up Gramma for a recipe for a special potion."

He fixed Jenny with an even stare. "Don't you dare bring that old woman back over here." The muscle was working even harder in his jaw for a moment as he stared at her, but he turned his back and unbuckled his belt, lowering his jeans on his hips just enough to let her see the scar.

Jenny pressed her lips thin; she hadn't heard him speak so passionately before about this. She looked at the scar, something in her screaming at her to not touch it. She closed her eyes, drawing out her magick, the soft blue light flowed from her hands to the mark on his skin as she felt it out, but she felt the resistance. Like the rest of the scars on his body, she could not undo what had been done so long ago. "You can pull your jeans back up, Dad. It's as I thought, we will need a potion that works from the inside out to regenerate what's been lost. I won't bring Gramma over here; she can read me what I need over the phone. I'll make it right now if we have what we need." She went to get her cell phone, hitting a speed dial.

Vegeta fixed his jeans before he turned to look at her. Right now? He hadn't been expecting her to be able to do it so quickly, but if she could, he wasn't going to argue with her.

Catie came strolling in to the lab, sipping a soda and smirked at Vegeta. "You in here scoping out the designs? She hasn't done mine yet," she grinned, but turned and looked at Jenny when Vegeta shushed her.

"And to what do I owe the pleasure of this call?" Grandma asked pleasantly when she picked up the phone, knowing immediately that it was Jenny.

Jenny grinned. "Hey Gramma. I was wondering if you could read me off the spell for the restoration of a lost limb? Anything I need, ingredients, and words. I know you have a healing spell." She giggled, "I saw it when I was looking for the love potion. This is for Vegeta." She said, turning and picking up her pencil, poising above the paper she had been sketching on.

"Do tell him I said hello," Grandma purred, then chuckled to herself. She was picturing that sexy man with a tail and it gave her a shiver. Grandma thought about it for a moment, it would have been so much easier if she had been there with them. She closed her eyes, trying to think of what would work best. Any normal person couldn't have created such a potion – witchcraft doesn't work that way. But in Jenny's case, her magick was different and exceptional. If she blessed it right and infused her magick into it, it should work. "Caraway seeds. Cayenne pepper. Cinnamon. Fennel. Ginger. Sage. Make it like you would a tea and make it strong. Hold your hands over it and concentrate your magick into it, thinking about giving him back what was lost. You shouldn't need any special words for this. Strain the herbs and have him drink it. That should do the trick."

Jenny quickly jotted it all down, "Sounds great! Thank you Gramma, you know you are the best right?" She chuckled as they said their goodbyes and she spared at glance at her father. "She says she'll want to see some tail the next time she visits." She snickered at his expression and ripped off the recipe in her hand. "Come on, this will only take a trip to the kitchen." She swung her arm around Catie's shoulders, "And what are you up to trouble?" She asked as she led the way out towards the kitchen.

"Wondering what the hell you two are up to," Catie asked with a backwards glance at Vegeta as he fell into step behind them. "Playing with more magick, I see. Vegeta, I thought better of you than that."

"Can it, Catherine," he growled in a warning tone. He was inwardly cringing at Grandma's comments. If that old woman so much as attempted to touch his tail... He leaned against the kitchen counter as Jenny started pulling spices out of the cabinet. "Oh that looks promising," he muttered sarcastically.

Jenny chuckled as she started boiling some water. "Hush, Father," she said with a smirk, reading over the instructions and adding generous portions of the spices and herbs to the small amount of water, sure to be a strong brew. She closed her eyes, holding her hands over the steaming pot, thinking about returning Vegeta's tail to him, returning back what was his, what had been taken from him. What had been lost. Restoring, repairing. She thought carefully and slowly opened her eyes, looking down into the darkened water as the blue light flowed from her hands into it. She nodded and reached for a strainer and a mug from the shelf. Carefully, she poured the hot liquid through the strainer, taking out the spices and herbs leaving a dark rich tea of sorts in the mug. She smiled at it and looked over at Vegeta, carefully sliding the mug to him. "For what was lost, may you recover it."

He eyed it uncertainly. It had a strong smell, although it wasn't entirely unpleasant. He held it in his hands for just a moment, wondering if this could possibly work. He thought about his tail, how it would be to have it back again.

"Do it, 'Geta," Catie dared, hopping up to sit on the counter as she leaned towards him. "C'mon. Don't be chicken."

He narrowed his eyes at her and downed the potion. It seared his throat and his insides, the strong flavor burning his tongue. He screwed up his face and looked at Jenny, "You think you could've made that a little stronger?" he asked in a strained voice, trying not to cough. He straightened up, his expression softening, and waited.

Nothing happened for a few minutes until he felt a strange tingling in his scar. Oh, that... that actually felt good. He swallowed hard, stopping himself from moaning. He turned and grabbed the counter, hiding his face from his daughters. "Holy shit," he gasped as suddenly his tail worked its way out from the top of his jeans, curling and flicking behind him.

Jenny's eyes widened at the dark reddish fur tail that suddenly appeared, flicking around as if it had a mind of its own "Oh wow! Look at that!" It was a long tail, longer than she thought it was going to be.

"Duuuuude," Catie gasped, leaning forward, her dark green eyes fixed on the tail. "That is wicked!"

"You alright dad?" Jenny asked, seeing his knuckles going white from his hands gripping the counter so hard.

Vegeta held a hand out to her, stopping her from coming too close in case she was tempted to touch it. He didn't think she'd be so careless, but anyone can forget themselves at times. "I'm fine," he answered roughly. He shifted his weight, waiting for his semi-hard length to subside. Damn these tight jeans.

"Well would you look at that," Catie snickered. "I didn't think it was gonna work. Good job, Jen."

Vegeta finally stood, his body back under his control and turned to face the kitchen again, trying not to smile as his tail lifted up in front of him and he consciously wagged the tip back and forth in front of his eyes. Oh, it felt good to be whole again. "Well done, Jennifer."

Jenny grinned, entranced by the tail nearly as much as her father was. He was playing with it, curling it, as if he was making sure it was really there. "It looks good on you," she said.

"Can I touch it?" Catie asked, reaching over like she was going to grab his tail.

"Don't you dare," he growled, snapping it out of her reach. He narrowed his eyes at her. "You know better."

"Aw, man, I never get to have any fun," Catie pouted.

"Want me to add on anything to your armor to protect that?" Jenny offered.

Vegeta wrapped his tail securely around his waist, sighing in the comfort of feeling it there again. "If you want," he answered. He stood up straighter, coiling his tail tighter around him. "Now, where is your mother?" he asked in a husky voice and stalked off to find Bulma.

Catie's eyes went wide as she heard the lust in his voice. "THAT is what he wanted it for?!"

Jenny blinked after their dad and she spared her sister a look, "Uh... well... I thought he wanted it for the war, but apparently I was mistaken. I did _not_ realize that would be the bedroom." She patted Catie on the back. "Better wear earplugs tonight dear."

"Fuck that," Catie answered. "I'm taking Trunks to a hotel for a WEEK." She snickered. "Ah well, should'a known better. You should see Trunks' reaction when I touch his scar. I guess it would make sense that it's the same for their tails." She tipped her head to the side, trying to picture Trunks with a tail. She couldn't do it. "Put that cup in the dishwasher. I don't want any residual crap getting in Trunks' system. That'd be too weird."

Jenny placed the cup in the dishwasher and shut the door. "It's more than that, though," she said, her expression turning serious. "It's part of who he is. Like losing an arm or a leg – you'd want it back, wouldn't you?"

Catie thought about it for a minute. "Yeah, I guess that makes sense. And from what Trunks said, Vegeta had his tail a lot longer than anyone else."

Jenny nodded. "The others were too young when they lost their tails," she said. "Hard to miss something you don't really remember having."

"Can you imagine what would happen if he transformed during battle, though?" Catie asked, her eyes lighting up. "Dude, he'd stomp those dragons! Like, SQUASH!" she exclaimed, slamming her fist into the palm of her other hand.

Jenny laughed. "Now that would be interesting." She finished tidying up the kitchen, then smirked at Catie. "Come on, let's sneak into the GR. I haven't kicked your ass in awhile."

"Oh, it is on!" Catie grinned and hopped off the counter, both of them tearing out of the kitchen to race down the hallway.

* * *

Author's Note: I feel like I need to clarify a few things about my stories here. First of all, this is fanfiction. Which means that we get to play with these characters in any way we see fit. While I try to be true to the canon and keep everyone in character as much as possible, there are a few things about the canon that I don't like / disagree with. So here are some of the alterations in my version of DBZ.

Chiaotzu and Puar do not exist. Frankly, they annoy me (especially Chiaotzu. Creepy little china-doll look alike following Tien around. BLUH.) I keep Oolong because he amuses me.

Piccolo does not have the ability to create clothes out of nowhere. Seriously? Very strange power for a Namek to have. Plus it plays a small part later on in the story in regards to Jenny's severe dislike of a certain garment.

As one reviewer pointed out, in the canon everyone seems to be telepathic. This is not the case here. It makes it too easy for them to read and understand each other and that becomes boring. The only one who is truly telepathic in my stories is Dende. Gramma Arthusia, while seemingly telepathic, is just empathetic – meaning she reads people's emotions, not their minds. Likewise, Leelee is a Seer – she only has visions of what is currently happening, not predicting the future or reading other's minds.

Amkula – I think Bulma and Vegeta are a very sexually driven couple, but I also hope to portray more of WHY they are that way down the road in the story. I attribute a lot of it to the nature of the Saiyans – their big appetites are for more than just food. But there's much more to their relationship than that. Thank you for pointing that out and I will make a better effort to make sure that I explain this better in future chapters.

I hope none of this comes across as snarky. That is not my intent. I'm just trying to explain a few things so that my stories make more sense. Sometimes I forget that not everyone has the insight into these stories like JC 87 and I do. I don't think you guys quite understand what we put into this. We work for HOURS every day on these stories. We're currently on story number 8 in this series. We have many more planned. At last count, I think we're going to end up with about 21 stories, if not more. So for those of you who like the series, there's plenty more in the works. (Many of them have their chapters already written/planned out, it's just a matter of sitting down and editing them and piecing them together from the facebook messages back and forth between myself and JC 87.) I hope to get this story put together as fast as possible because the NEXT story is fucking fantastic. I don't know if everyone will like it, but I stand by it, goddammit.

Sorry for the long author's note, but I just wanted to clear up some things (you can view my profile for more.) As always, thanks for reading and I look forward to hearing from you guys!


	7. Unexpected Company

The young woman materialized in the yard along with her companions, the three of them staring at the back of the big man who was chopping wood in front of his house. They'd tracked him here from the village where he did his trading.

Hybris cocked an eyebrow in question at one of the men and he nodded, indicating that this was the man they'd attempted to beat in the tavern. A smirk pulled at Hybris' lips. "My, my, what a quaint little place this is."

Tien froze mid swing, the energies and the voices suddenly appearing behind him and that he didn't recognize. He turned around, shouldering his axe, freeing up one of his hands. He could smell the magick in the air it was so strong. And he recognized the two men now standing before him. Atlantians, the same ones who had attacked him when he and Sabriena had gone to town. He growled low in his throat. Oh of all the times for them to show up. He was out numbered, but hopefully not out matched. Sabriena wasn't home – she'd taken the puppy to the Lookout along with some more leather for Jenny.

He recognized the punk who had busted his knee last time he was in the tavern. "What? You decide to come back and finish what you started? Couldn't finish your own fight last time, so you ran home crying."

The man smirked back at him. "Only because you had your little girlfriend to protect you," he replied coolly. "Where is she anyway? She's the one we're interested in, not your sorry ass."

Both of the men dropped into fighting stances, prepared to attack, but Hybris held up her hands for calm. "Now, now, gentlemen," she purred. "No need for a big display of testosterone." She brushed her incredibly long hair over her shoulder, her magenta-colored eyes fixing on Tien. "Just tell us where she is and no one gets hurt."

Tien snorted, not believing her for a second. "Sorry, she's not here. She doesn't live here. She got tired of this old man giving her orders so she went back to the states. Sorry you wasted your time," he growled out at them. His fingers flexed around the axe in his hand, preparing to swing it at the first moments notice of a fight. His free hand clenched into a fist.

Hybris didn't miss Tien's subtle movements, the way his hand gripped the axe. She shook her head slowly, eerie. "Tsk tsk tsk. Now that's now fair. We're unarmed," she scolded softly. With a quick jerk of her arm, she flung a long lock of her hair at him, wrapping it around the handle of the axe, and ripped it from his hand. "I don't believe you," she hissed as the two men at her sides rushed forward and attacked Tien at the same time.

Tien powered up an instant later, easily dodging what her two lackeys had to dish out at him and he thanked the mother that he had been training nonstop with Sabriena and Goku. They both had taught him a few things about battle. He hissed and growled as a punch landed on his face and he returned with kicks and punches of his own.

Hybris watched with a frown on her face as her companions were overpowered by the tall warrior. She rested the axe on her shoulder, getting more irritated by the moment. They were trying to fight him, but he was easily holding his own against the two of them. Hybris sighed; just her luck that the only two men who knew how to get to the cabin were the weakest of her group.

The little girl with scraggly pale hair peered out from the doorway of the cabin, watching with interest. Her nearly white eyes were wide and unblinking as she stared at them, her face otherwise expressionless.

One of the men fell back on the ground from Tien's attack and Hybris decided she'd had enough. She threw another lock of her hair and wrapped it around Tien's neck, the pale pink strands glowing with magickal energy. "I think we've had about enough of this," she growled. She looked at her men, "Let's take him inside. We'll get him to talk."

Tien choked, growling out as he was hauled, kicking and thrashing, back into his own cabin. "What happened about fair?" he spat. He scowled deeply as he was pushed into a chair and bound to it by her hair. That stupid ladies hair shouldn't have been so strong, but he couldn't break it, even as he struggled, his arms tied behind his back, each of his ankles bound to chair legs. "She doesn't live here any more you deaf fools. I told you that already."

"No?" Hybris asked, looking around the interior of the cabin. Her eyes landed on the laundry basket in the corner, spying bits of lace and a pink shirt. "You expect me to believe that's your clothing in that basket?" She set the axe on the table, looking him over slowly, her eyes raking his body. She placed her hands on her hips and slowly licked her lips, walking a bit closer to him. "You can't expect me to believe she'd walk away from a big, handsome warrior like yourself." She leaned over, placing her hands on his knees, staring at him. "When's she going to be back?"

Tien didn't know how to explain what he felt. He felt physically sick when she touched him. His body screamed out that the only one allowed to touch him was Sabriena. "She's not coming back. I stole those from her, I have a weird fetish," he lied. He turned his head, looking to the fire place, watching as the little girl there played in the ashes, drawing little symbols and whatnot. A fear welled up in him for her. Who was she? Had they kidnapped her from somewhere?

Hybris cocked an eyebrow. "A fetish, huh? Well I could certainly help you out if you're feeling... lonely." She walked her fingers up his thigh, a slow wicked laugh issuing from her throat when she felt him shudder. "Obviously she has no loyalty to you. Why should you protect her? Tell us where she is. Surely you can narrow it down from just the states."

The little girl grabbed the poker next to the fireplace and jabbed at the logs, watching in fascination as the coals glowed, still hot from that morning. She cast an innocent look over at Tien before turning her attention back to the ashes.

"He's not going to talk," one of the men said. "Let us help you persuade him." He cracked his knuckles, reaching for the axe on the table.

"I can be persuasive enough on my own," Hybris snapped. "Outside. Both of you. Guard the door." The two men sulked, but obeyed her orders and disappeared outside. "Now," Hybris said, trailing the backs of her fingers along Tien's jaw in a loving caress. "Where were we?"

Tien growled at her, "I'm not that desperate for company, lady. And if you think I'm going to betray my student's whereabouts, you've got another think coming," he spat, jerking his head away from her, his eyes going to the little girl again. "Hey! Don't play with that, you could hurt yourself!"

Hybris narrowed her eyes and stood up straight, pulling a dagger from her high-heeled boot. "Fine. If you won't give me the information freely, I suppose I'll just have to force it out of you." She placed the tip of the dagger against his cheek, turning his face towards her again. "Never mind her. She's just a stupid child. You're the one who's going to get hurt." She trailed the tip of the dagger down his chest, tracing the lines of his muscles. "You did this to yourself," she growled, bringing the dagger back up. "Now tell us where she is." She pressed the dagger against his shoulder, smirking as it started to pierce his skin.

He grit his teeth together, thinking ruefully that the hidden dagger that master Tao had used on him had hurt more. "Forget it lady. You are only going to hurt me more if I tell you where she is any way, so I just don't see a winning side to this. Why tell you anything when you are going to do it anyway?"

"Because eventually you will cave," she snarled, the purplish glow of her magick forming around her hand and she slapped him hard across the face. "If you won't give her up, then tell me where the others are!" She hit him again, an evil smirk pulling at her lips as she saw the blood drip from the corner of his mouth. She jabbed the dagger into his thigh, leaning hard on it, twisting it slightly. "Where are they?" She glanced over her shoulder at the little girl. "Antonia, a little help here?"

The little girl reached into the fire and picked up a big handful of glowing coals with her bare hand and turned towards him, tipping her head to the side, her eyes unblinking.

"How could you!" he cried. "She's just a little girl!" Tien's eyes widened at the little girl when he saw her hand holding those glowing coals as if they were cool to the touch. He didn't expect it when she threw the hot coals and he screamed out in pain as they landed in his eyes, blinding him with the red hot embers. He screamed louder as his eyes felt as if they were melting out of his skull. "California!" he screamed, "she's in California!"

"Ashes, ashes, we all fall down," Antonia sang sweetly in an eerie little voice and started skipping happily around the cabin, dragging her sad-looking teddy bear behind her.

Hybris frowned, unable to tell if Tien was lying or not. "Are you certain that's where she is?" she asked, leaning in closer to him. She grabbed his chin, staring fiercely at him, even as he blinked and barely opened his eyes, trying to stop the burning. "Oh, I bet that burns, doesn't it?" She saw a burning piece of the coal in his third eye and pressed her thumb against it, driving it deeper into his eye. "Are you certain that's where she is? Tell me the truth!"

Tien screamed more, really truly in pain, trying to writhe away from her, his shoulders shaking and knees bouncing. Good gods above, that hurt more than anything he had ever felt before in his entire life. Tears rolled down his face as he screamed, "Yes! Yes! She is in California! Stop it! Make it stop! It burns! You're making me blind!"

Hybris laughed again and withdrew her thumb, admiring her own handiwork. She was impressed with herself that she could reduce the big man to tears. She picked up the axe on the table, holding it with both hands and concentrated for a moment, extending her magickal energy out to surround it in a thin sheen of purple energy. "Now," she said, trailing it up the inside of his thigh, letting the sharp edge skim over the crotch of his pants. "Tell me where the others are."

He growled out, his teeth clenched together as he drew in painful breath after painful breath and he shook his head. Gods the pain was one thing, but if she hurt him there he didn't know what he was going to do. "I don't know! I don't know where they are!" he screamed out. He hated himself for being so weak, for letting the pain get to him like this.

Hybris stared at him for a minute, debating. He seemed broken. Surely no man would risk losing his manhood over a simple piece of information. She pulled back and smacked him across the face with the flat side of the axe, smirking as it split the skin around his eye socket and a sickening crack of bone resounded in the cabin.

She gave her head a shake, her long hair falling away from his wrists and ankles. "See now that wasn't so hard, was it?" She shoved him out of the chair where he landed chest-first on the floor. "Oh, and just to make sure you don't follow us..." She placed her high-heeled boot on the back of his calf and swung the axe, hacking into the thick tendon on the back of his heel, nearly severing it in two. She relished the screams from his mouth as she stepped around and put her boot on his other leg, touching the back of his other heel with the axe, getting a good aim. "Come now, surely you understand. Nothing personal." And she swung the axe again.

Tien lost his mind; he didn't know how he had been able to somewhat keep his cool thus far. But he lost it now and screamed out, his throat raw from screaming so much and he tasted blood in his mouth. A new heat flared in his ankles as his tendons snapped and he thought hard about Sabriena, praying she would stay safe.

Hybris gave one last wicked laugh and dropped the axe next to Tien. "Come along, Antonia," she said, heading for the door. "We're going to make a little trip to the states." She stepped outside as the little girl skipped along behind her and slammed the door shut.

Tien was shaking on the floor, bleeding and broken, almost wishing death would claim him. He didn't care how strong he was or what he had done in his life – no one should have to endure such agony. He tried to move, his eyes barely cracked open, and dragged his body across the floor towards the door. If only he could make it to the river and let the cool water rinse over his eyes, maybe that would help. He just managed to push the door open when exhaustion took him and he collapsed against the floor, his world going blissfully dark.

* * *

"Jenny, something's wrong!" Sabriena cried, scooping up the puppy who had been nearly licking Paige to death. "I have to get back to Tien. I don't know how, but I can just feel it. Something's happened!"

Jenny looked over to her friend and tipped her head to the side. "Are you sure?" she asked.

Sabriena nodded, her arms wrapped tight around the wriggling puppy. "I have to go."

Jenny nodded. She put her hand to Paige head and ruffled her hair. "Be good for your father. Piccolo! I'll be back!" She looked to Sabriena, "I'm coming with you; you'll need help if there's trouble. Let's go."

Sabriena nodded and ran to the edge of the Lookout, taking to the air and flying as fast as she could. She didn't know what happened, or even how she knew that something had happened at all. All she knew was that Tien was in trouble and she had to get to him. The flight to the cabin had never seemed so long, even though it was the fastest she'd ever made the flight. "Tien?!" she screamed out as she and Jenny landed in the yard. She dropped the puppy as she ran up the steps and screamed when she saw him on the floor, the backs of his ankles hacked open, the ends of the tendons visible. She dropped to her knees next to him. "TIEN!"

Jenny's eyes widened as she saw the horrors presented to them, the redness around his eyes, the blood on his face, the blood streaked behind him from where he had dragged himself across the floor. "Shit! Come on, Sabriena! We have to get him to the water, my magick will be stronger there. I have to heal him now or he's going to go blind!"

Tien could barely move, he couldn't open his eyes, everything hurt. But he could sense Sabriena and his soul took comfort in that. And Jenny was there as well. He prayed that the Atlantians were gone and he hoped that they had bought his ruse.

Sabriena pulled Tien's arm around her shoulders. "Jenny, help me," she begged, struggling to stand under Tien's weight. She waited for Jenny to grab his other arm before they dragged him down to the river. "You're gonna be okay," she tried to sooth. "Tien, you're gonna be okay. Jenny can heal you." They carried him out into the water and shifted him around to float on his back as Sabriena hooked her arms under his, holding the backs of his shoulders against her chest. "Heal him, please," she begged

Jenny smiled at her friend, as her hands lit up with a radiant blue light. "As if you have to ask," she said in a calming tone, closing her eyes and commanding the water to rise up in gentle ribbons and wrap around Tien's ankles. She focused there first, trying to stop the bleeding before he lost any more blood. Thank the Goddess that they'd made it to him when they did. Jenny could see his heels knitting back together through the swirling magickal water. When she was satisfied with that, she moved up to his eyes, letting the healing water flow over his face, washing away the coals and ash, healing his eyes and the abrasions around them.

Tien couldn't describe the relief he felt as the water surrounded his face, the pain from the coals and burns fading as if they had not happened. The cool water was such a relief, even though the fall air had started to turn a bit chilly. He felt the water flow down to his shoulder and his thigh, the least of his injuries, and healed them as well.

Sabriena hugged him tightly, burying her face against the back of his shoulder as Jenny worked, trying to will some of her own magickal energy into him to help the healing. She was so upset, she didn't know if it was helping or not. She pressed her lips to his shoulder where Jenny couldn't see the gesture. He wasn't ready to announce their relationship to their friends yet. She finally lifted her face, leaning her chin over his shoulder. "What happened?" she asked him softly.

Jenny didn't know who they were fooling with that. But she let them be, even if the affection she saw from Sabriena surprised her. Tien had brought about more changes in Sabriena than any of them had realized. She could hear the worry in her friend's voice and she could see it in the way he relaxed around them, around Sabriena more accurately. Jenny swallowed her tongue though; they would tell when they were ready.

Tien shook his head at Sabriena's question. He didn't want to worry her more. He didn't want to alarm everyone about the Atlantians. This was his problem, he'd stirred it up with them that day at the tavern and he didn't need anyone else fighting his battles.

Sabriena frowned when he refused to answer. "Come on, let's get you in some dry clothes." She was happy to see that he could walk on his own after Jenny had healed him and didn't seem to be limping too bad, even if he had gone silent and wouldn't look at her. He looked exhausted. "Uh, wait here," Sabriena said sheepishly to Jenny and followed Tien into the cabin to grab him some dry clothes.

Jenny frowned as she waited around, looking to the puppy and petting him, scratching him behind the ears, "What happened to Tien, do you think?"

Dog gave a little "hmph" and nommed on Jenny's hand, thumping his tail in the dirt.

"Why won't you talk to me?" Sabriena asked, setting the clothes on the table. "Did I do something wrong?"

Tien shook his head and grabbed her up tightly and buried his face into her hair, fearing for her life. Their lives. The lives of their friends. He kissed her, long and slow, tears slipping from his eyes.

Sabriena wrapped her arms around Tien's neck as he kissed her, her fear growing even more at his silence. She pulled back from him, looking up at him in worry. "Baby, you're scaring me," she said softly. She cupped his cheek, frowning at how exhausted he looked. Maybe he needed to rest for a bit and then he'd feel like talking. "Why don't you go lay down for a bit? You look tired."

Tien nodded and changed his clothes before he turned and went to curl up on their bed, sparing a glance at her clothing in the hamper. He wasn't ashamed of her, but he had to lie to the enemy, to deny her and say he had nothing to do with her. It made him sick to his stomach, but he knew he would've felt even worse if they had found her.

Sabriena changed into dry clothes, frowning with tears in her eyes at the blood on the floor. She went to him and pulled the blanket up over his shoulder and kissed him soundly on the cheek. She closed her eyes, fighting the tears that slipped out anyway. That image would haunt her for the rest of her life. "I love you," she whispered in a shaking voice and hugged him tightly before she turned and went back outside. "He's resting," she said to Jenny. "I don't know what the hell happened here and I can't understand why he won't talk to me!"

Jenny looked back up at her. "He went through a traumatic experience," she answered, getting to her feet. "He was tortured. No one wants to go through that." She looked at her friend, reaching out and cupping her cheek. "You know, you don't have to hide things from me. We're friends, aren't we? Why didn't you tell me about you and Tien?"

Sabriena blushed, realizing she'd been found out. "Tien... isn't ready to tell anyone," she said softly. "He hasn't even told Goku about us yet. He's still hung up on our age difference. Please don't say anything to anyone yet, Jenny." Sabriena drew a shaking breath, her bottom lip trembling. "I don't know why he won't talk to me," she huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "This is bullshit! I want to know who did this to him and why!" She turned and kicked a bucket across the yard, growling in frustration. "That's sick what they did to him, Jenny!" she said, turning back to her friend and pointing at the cabin. "There was no need for that! It's just plain fucking sick."

Jenny felt her anger boiling. There had to have been something she could have done to prevent this. If only the armor had been ready. Still, she imagined Tien wouldn't have been wearing it anyway. "If he won't talk to us, I know someone he will talk to," she said boldly. "We need to know what happened here so we can make sure it doesn't happen to anyone else. Piccolo and Tien are close. Well, you know. They respect each other. I have a feeling that he can get him to talk."

Sabriena nodded. "That sounds like a good idea," she said. She didn't much care for Jenny's husband, but if Piccolo could get Tien to talk, she'd put her feelings about him aside for the moment. "I promise not to be rude to him if he can just get Tien to tell us what happened." She lifted her leg and rubbed at the back of her ankle, imagining what he must have felt. "Good god," she muttered and gave a shudder.

Jenny fished her phone out of her purse lying on the ground and pressed the speed dial for her husband, praying that he would answer the phone this one time. He claimed he hated that thing and would break it one day. Hopefully today was not that day. She was rewarded, hearing him answer and quickly informed him of the situation. "I know it's a long flight, but please. We need to figure out what happened, if we can protect the others from this, but he won't tell us what happened. I've got to try to keep this from happening again."

Piccolo felt his stomach drop painfully at what Jenny described. "No, I agree. We need to know what we're up against," he answered. "You stay there and be careful. I'll be there as quick as I can." He could see Dende across the Lookout looking back at him, knowing his brother could hear everything he and Jenny were saying. Piccolo gave a pointed glace inside where his girls were taking their nap, then looked back at Dende. Dende caught Piccolo's meaning and nodded that he would watch them while Piccolo was away.

"And please bring me some dry clothes," she said. "I love you." Jenny hung up the phone, sighing heavily, "I'm sorry it's going to take a minute for him to get here." She smiled at her friend, seeing how distraught she was. "Hey. Easy there. We'll find out who did this to him and I am going to make damn sure that it can't happen again." She held a hand to her chin, thinking. Her eyes widened and she said, "You know, Gramma has protection spells around her house. I wonder if I can do something similar. But those take an incredible amount of energy and magick. I'd need to rest up before I tried it, but I don't want you guys to go another night without it."

"That's not a bad idea," Sabriena said, her eyes going wide. "That's pretty damn brilliant, actually! Yeah, your energy feels low now that you healed him. I think we'll be alright for one night," Sabriena said uncertainly as she looked at the door. She chewed her lip for a moment. "Really, if you need to go home and rest, you can come back tomorrow morning. I'd let you stay here overnight, but... well, you wouldn't wanna be away from home for that long, right?"

Jenny looked to Sabriena, "If you don't mind, I don't mind. Dende and Mister Popo are more than capable of watching my girls. We put up warning signs for the next time anyone tried to kidnap them." Her voice went cold at that. "But with Dende there, it will be easier for him to hear danger coming. He can take them into the maze below the Lookout. No one with ill intentions can find anything in that place. Doomed to be lost." She worried her lip, "My only concern is if those people who did this to Tien, if they were to come back and we didn't have some serious backup, we could be sitting ducks."

"Let me see your cell phone," Sabriena said, reaching for it and flipping through Jenny's contacts list. "I'll call Goku and see if he can come out. Maybe he could grab Piccolo on his way and save some time." She clicked on Goku's name and pressed the phone to her ear, praying that he would be the one to answer the house phone and not Chichi. She couldn't stand that woman.

* * *

Goku answered the phone, "Hello! Son residence!"

"Goku, it's Sabriena. I swiped Jenny's phone," she said quietly, absentmindedly chewing her lip. "Listen, Tien was attacked. Jenny managed to heal him, but he won't tell us who did it. Goku, I'm scared. He won't talk to me."

Goku felt his blood run cold at her words. "What can I do to help?" he asked quickly, already raising his fingers to his forehead, preparing to go wherever she told him.

"Do you think you could come out here? Please? Maybe he'll talk to you. Piccolo's on his way here, too. If you could grab him first and save some time-"

"You got it, kiddo," Goku answered. "Be there before you know it." And with that, he hung up the phone and disappeared from his kitchen, leaving Chichi scowling at the spot where he vanished.

Goku popped up a few feet in front of Piccolo as he was flying, nearly getting run over by the Namek. "Whoa! Piccolo! Hold up! They called me too!" He flew after him, reaching out and grabbing his arm to pull him to a stop. "Let me take you there. It's faster!"

Piccolo gave a nod. "Works for me." He watched as Goku pressed two fingers to his forehead and the next thing he knew, they were standing in the yard in front of Tien's cabin with Jenny and Sabriena.

Goku rushed to Sabriena, looking her over. "Are you alright? Where is Tien?"

"I'm fine, I'm fine, I wasn't here," she reassured him. She looked at her friend for a moment, feeling so much better to be in his presence. Goku always made everything better. "Tien's resting inside. He's really worn out."

"Thank goodness you weren't hurt," he breathed. "Now tell me what happened."

"You should've seen the way Jenny and I found him," she whimpered. "Whoever attacked him threw hot coals in his eyes and... they... they hacked the backs of his heels open..."

Goku felt his anger rising as Sabriena described what had happened to his friend. He was furious. "Damn them."

Piccolo frowned at the front door. He could feel Tien's energy; it was incredibly low. Probably from blood loss and the adrenaline leaving his system after being attacked. Although he would never tell a soul about it, he could hear the very quiet gasps from Tien's mouth as he cried. "So he won't talk to either of you, huh?" he asked, a stern expression crossing his features.

Jenny shook her head, going to her husband, the need to be near him had been growing in her since they had found Tien like that. "I healed him, but magick can't affect the emotional trauma."

Piccolo pulled her into his arms, his anger with the situation rising as well. It was one thing to be injured on the battlefield; it was quite another to attack a man in his own home.

Goku swallowed harshly, looking at Sabriena and Jenny, but landed back on Sabriena's worried face. He walked forward, pressing a hand to her shoulder, squeezing it with support. "Are you both alright?" he asked softly, sparing a glance at the cabin and frowning and looking to Piccolo. "Maybe you should go in first and see what his mindset is right now. I know I can be a bit much," he said, looking around the cabin, trying to sense anything that didn't belong.

Sabriena tried to nod bravely, even though she didn't feel it at the moment. "Jenny healed him," she repeated in a quiet voice. "She's going to bless the cabin first thing tomorrow. Her energy's too low to do it tonight. I think she's going to sleep over. She doesn't want me and Tien here by ourselves." She watched as Piccolo gave a nod and went inside. She was shaking, her emotions in overdrive. What if Tien had bled out before she and Jenny had gotten to him? She would've lost him with no hope to bring him back. She gave a violent shudder at the thought. She couldn't picture her life without him now. She felt like she was falling apart on the inside, not knowing what to do. She cautiously stepped closer to Goku, leaning into him for a hug, hoping he didn't pull back from her. She just needed something... a friend who was close to both of them who might understand what Tien meant to her.

Goku looked down at Sabriena, he couldn't even begin to imagine what she was feeling right now. He reached down and wrapped his arms around her tiny frame, pulling her close, muttering softly, "It's going to be alright. Tien's alive. I'm here. I'm not going anywhere tonight. If they come back, they are going to have to answer to me for what they did to him. I promise you that, Sabriena." He secured his arms around her looking back up at the cabin. He would protect both of them.

Jenny smiled, it was good that Goku was staying. More protection against these monsters who dared attack them, whoever they were. She couldn't deny that she was rather put out with Tien at the moment for not speaking to Sabriena about this, but a man's reasoning was hard to understand at times. Surely there was a reason for his silence.

Sabriena wrapped her arms tight around Goku's waist, burying her face in his shirt to try to hide the tears that were slipping out. She hated crying and it wasn't something she did often, but she was so scared for Tien, for what could've happened, for what could still happen, that she couldn't stop herself from silently crying. "I'll cook you a really good supper," she offered in a tiny voice.

Jenny smiled at the exchange. She was surprised. She knew Sabriena did not give her trust that easily, certainly not enough to cry in front of someone like that. She must've trusted Goku very much. Of course, she had heard that Goku had started training with her and Tien. It wasn't hard to form a bond between trainer and student. She looked to the cabin again and walked over to the fire pit, stacking a few logs together.

Goku, hugged Sabriena tighter, surprised at her tears. He's always thought of her as being the emotionally strongest of the girls and to see her cry spoke volumes to him. He lifted her chin with the side of his index finger to look at him. "Hey, now, none of that. You'll make yourself sick. Everything is going to be alright. I promise you." He reached up and wiped the tears from her face with his thumb. "I won't let anything happen to you. To either of you. I'll protect you," he said in a soft, comforting voice.

Sabriena's face went a little red for crying in front of him and she drew a deep breath, stopping her tears. "I know you will," she answered. She wiped her face and stepped back from him, trying to pull herself together and get her emotions under control. "Okay, so, dinner..." she said, looking at the logs. "It's not too chilly out here yet. It's supposed to turn cold tonight though... Let's cook out here and I'll build a fire inside later." And she gathered up some of the firewood to show Jenny and Goku how she learned to make a fire with the bow drill.

* * *

Tien was still lying on his side with his back to the door as Piccolo entered. He'd felt their energies appear in the yard and he sighed to himself. He really didn't want to talk about this with anyone. He wanted to just lay there and think everything over before he said something that alarmed everyone too much. It could've been an isolated incident... maybe... "What do you want, Piccolo?" he asked without turning to look at the Namek.

Piccolo closed the door behind him, looking around the small cabin. He rather liked it out here, especially the waterfall behind Tien's house, which was perfect for meditating. He was surprised and shocked to see that Sabriena was living out here and had apparently trained well under Tien's instruction. Well, it was good to know that she wasn't a total lost cause. He could see her touch to the cabin that hadn't been there before – the flowers on the table and the curtains on the windows. He wondered briefly just how involved the relationship between them was and if it extended beyond teacher and student. He shoved the thought from his mind – it didn't concern him.

He looked to his friend and moved over to the table, grasping a chair and hauling it over to the bed to sit beside him. He crossed his arms, thinking over his words carefully, "I'm here because they couldn't get you to say what happened. They said they found you with coals in your eyes and your heels sliced open. Even if you don't want to talk about it, we need to know who it was and what they are capable of so that it doesn't happen to anyone else."

"It doesn't matter," Tien answered. "I gave them a false lead. I don't think they'll be coming back." He frowned, a tear leaking from his eye as he stared at Sabriena's place on the bed. He drew a long breath through his nose, pressing the side of his face into the pillow, and inhaled the sweet scent of honeysuckle she'd left on his pillow. He didn't want to admit what had happened - that the same jerks who'd attacked him at the tavern had now shown up at his home and that the woman with them had overpowered him. He didn't want Sabriena thinking it was her fault for not finishing them off or for her to worry over him. He should've been able to defend himself, not rely on her to do it. He felt weak for it. He reached down and rubbed the back of his heel, shuddering. "I'm thankful your wife was with Sabriena. I don't know if she could've healed me without Jenny's help." He rubbed at his eyes, making sure they were dry. He hated himself for letting the idea even cross his mind, but he'd been thinking about sending Sabriena away. Maybe she'd be safer if they weren't together, but the idea made him absolutely heartsick and he knew he couldn't do it. And that made him feel guilty for being so selfish. "Really, Piccolo, you didn't have to come out here. I just need some rest and I'll be fine."

Piccolo snorted and looked at his friend seriously. "After all the shit we've been through? We know it just doesn't go away. They'll be back once they figure out you lied to them. I'm not going to be some girl and say you need to tell me how you feel. I can already imagine how you feel." He frowned deeply, thinking back to when his baby girl was kidnapped right under his nose. "You feel violated. These people invaded your home and took control of it as if it was their own; they threatened someone you care for. They hurt you and now you are wondering if it will ever be safe here, if you will ever be strong enough to stop them, to stop it from happening again."

Tien sighed and finally sat up, leaning back against the headboard to look at his friend as he crossed his arms over his chest. It was a rare thing to hear a curse word from Piccolo. "Twice," Tien said. "This is twice now they've gotten to me." He sighed at Piccolo's questioning look and he dropped his voice lower to make sure Sabriena didn't overhear him. "It was the Atlantians," he explained. "Some young woman with long hair... tied me to my own damn chair with her hair and questioned me about the girls." His voice nearly cracked at the humiliation and he could feel his face burning. He growled, looking at the blood still puddled on the wood floor. "She used my own axe to hack my legs open, Piccolo. These people are sick."

Piccolo scowled, "I know who that is. We had the misfortune of running into her while we were storming their castle. Her name is Hybris. She humiliated Vegeta with that stupid hair of hers, tied him up in it, made him look like a fool and hauled him off." Piccolo turned, looking at the blood on the floor before scooting his chair to block Tien's line of sight. "Don't pay attention to that. And I know these people are sick. They are prepared to kidnap children, hurt people for no reason at all. Dende's all shook up about it, too. He says the earth is trembling for what is to come."

Tien's eyebrows raised at that. "Oh, well, THAT'S reassuring," he muttered. He didn't even want to voice the question, but he had to. He suspected why Dende would be so bothered by the Atlantians. "The war's closer than we think, isn't it?" he asked. "That's why she showed up here. Trying to get to the girls before they come in and wipe out the rest of us." His fingertips dug into his biceps as he sat with his arms still crossed, frustration, fear, and anger coursing through him. "We have to do something. I can't just sit around and wait for them to come back or attack someone else. But Piccolo, I was defenseless against them!" He fixed the Namek with an intense stare, his voice even more fierce than his gaze. "You know me. There isn't a single opponent we've faced that I've backed down from, even when I knew I couldn't beat them. I know my weaknesses - I know I can be a bit of a hothead when it comes to battle and I'm just as proud as the rest of you, if not more sometimes. But I'm telling you, I did NOT stand a chance."

Piccolo shook his head. "You were alone. You think any one of us stands a chance against them alone? We've beaten them together before and that's how we're to defeat them this time; together. With Jenny's armor, Vegeta's battle strategy, our individual strengths. I would lose against them if I faced them alone. I know I would. My power is no match for theirs. It's too different. But with our combined power…" he paused and gave Tien a pointed look, "we are stronger than they are."

Tien snorted. He wasn't so sure he was contributing much to their cause. "Maybe you all are," he answered, frowning. "The last time they attacked, Sabriena had to save me from them and did it single-handedly. I dunno if Goku told you about that or not..." he trailed off and sighed, clapping both hands to his face and rubbing at his eyes. "Argh, I hate this. I hate feeling helpless. I hate feeling sorry for myself. This is infuriating."

Piccolo, "That's easy. Stop feeling sorry for yourself and do something about it. The last time you went up against them, you didn't know what they were capable of. You didn't know what to expect or how to train because you hadn't faced them before. You didn't have Goku training you. You are stronger now and if you don't believe that, then I don't know why I came here. You'll find no comfort from me. You want me to say that you are useless? You aren't. One person might make the difference in this war, weak or strong, magick or no magick."

Tien pressed his lips together and gave a nod. He appreciated Piccolo's honesty. "You're right," he said finally. "I'm just stuck in my own head. I'll be fine. I just gotta figure out how to train different so that I do make the difference." He pulled his legs up and crossed them, dropping his hands to rub at his ankles. They were still sore, but they were leagues better than they had been before Jenny healed them. "This enemy is just so different than the ones I'm used to. It's hard to anticipate what they may be planning. Always in the past, it was just a test of strength against strength. We're playing an entirely new game here."

"The only way you could change the game up is if you suddenly learned how to do magick like the girls," he said Piccolo nodded and leaned back. He didn't like seeing his friend like this, beaten down by it. It wasn't the Tien he knew. "We need to warn the others. It's not safe for anyone if they can show up at will."

"No," Tien argued, shaking his head. "I don't want the others to worry. We're all training for the war, they don't need to know that I was attacked." He could feel his face going red, furious with himself, his weakness. He was ashamed in that moment that he hadn't been able to protect himself and his home. He wouldn't have been able to defend Sabriena if she'd been there. She would've been the one to defend him.

Piccolo growled at him, "knock it off." His antennae twitched in the air in annoyance. "Jenny perfected the armor. When we get fitted for the war, they won't be able to stop us. The others should be aware that these people are looking for the girls again and that they can appear at will."

Tien pressed his lips thin, crossing his arms over his chest. "It's bad enough you, Goku, and Jenny know about this. I don't want the others to freak out." He cringed and rubbed his face, let his arms fall to the mattress, heaving a sigh. "I know you're right, Piccolo. I just... it's embarrassing to be beaten by a woman."

Piccolo snorted. "You weren't with us in the castle. We all were beaten by women. There's nothing to be ashamed about." He breathed heavily through his nose. "Stubborn." He looked to the door again. "You should tell Sabriena what happened. It makes for a good training motivator."

Tien scowled. "I'm starting to wonder who needs to train who around here," he muttered. "The last time those guys attacked, SHE was the one to fend them off. Not me. She saved my life." He shook his head again, feeling like screaming or cursing or... he didn't know. He sighed and made a gesture towards the door. "Let's get Goku in here. I know he's here, I can sense him. Let's see what he has to say about it. Since we've been training together, he might have an idea."

Piccolo snorted as he stood up and walked over to the door, opening it a crack, hearing the others talking quietly. Goku stood protectively between both of the girls. "Goku, get in here. We need to talk." He caught Jenny's eye and shook his head.

Jenny huffed and watched as Goku nodded, giving Sabriena's arm a squeeze before he went into the cabin.

Sabriena frowned as the men disappeared back into the cabin. "I don't know what they think they're doing, sitting in there being all secretive and shit, but I am going to find out what happened to Tien whether he likes it or not," she stated before she stormed around the edge of the cabin towards the root cellar to get something to fix for dinner.

Tien watched Sabriena and Jenny through the window as Piccolo and Goku sat down near the bed. Tien sighed, not wanting to have to rehave the conversation with Goku that he'd just had with Piccolo. Oh well, better to just rip the bandaid off quickly. "It was the Atlantians," he said, still watching out the window as Sabriena pulled open the door to the cellar. "They followed me here somehow. They questioned me about the girls."

Goku frowned and reached out, putting a hand on his friends shoulder, wanting to feel him as if to reassure himself that he was really alright. If there was one thing he understood, it was battle. "I figured as much. There aren't many who could take you down. Those guys even give me the creeps. These people rely on tricks and magick." He looked away, remembering when they tricked him into eating food and rotting his flesh. He shuddered as he remembered what they did to Gohan. "They didn't... they didn't force you to drink anything?"

Tien cocked an eyebrow at the odd question. "No. Although a drink sounds far more pleasant than what they did," he growled. "We don't stand a chance. All of my training, all of the hard work I've put in, and for what? For some tiny young woman to just show up and completely overpower me? I... I can't..." He roared in frustration, clenching his fists at his sides. He couldn't stand the thought of losing Sabriena, not now, not after it took him so long to win her over. He'd never been happier in his life. "What if they'd still been there when she showed up? What? Am I supposed to let my student take care of me? Protect me? It should be the other way around!"

Goku shook his head. "Be happy that she saved you! It's a testament to your training." He sighed and sat back. "And they forced Gohan to drink something... a potion of some kind. I never want to hear my son scream like that again. He said afterwards that it felt like his skin was being flayed off. He begged me and Vegeta to kill him."

Tien shivered at that. Perhaps what he had gone through wasn't as bad by comparison. "We have to do something. What we're doing right now isn't good enough." He ducked his head, looking sheepishly at Goku. "It was the same ones who attacked me at the tavern, plus a young woman – Piccolo said her name was Hybris. I don't want anyone to worry over me," he said.

Goku frowned, his brow creasing, and he nodded. He leaned forward, looking Tien over, worried for him. He couldn't explain it, but he was furious with those people for hurting him. He would repay them for this. Mark for mark, bruise for bruise, but Jenny had done her job right and there wasn't a physical mark on him, "There has to be a way we can use this attack on you against them. Pay them back." He said.

Tien was racking his brain, trying to think over everything that Hybris had said. "They're looking for the girls," he repeated, thinking as hard as he could. "I told them Sabriena was in California. Hybris had a kid with her. A little girl with really pale hair. She's one of them. I thought she was in trouble at first, but then she picked up the coals with her bare hands and threw them in my eyes. Hybris called her Antonia. I don't know if she'd be a weak point to them since she's a kid or not."

Goku shuddered. "I know her. She's trouble. She helped Hybris set Leelee on fire; she's the one who tied her up. Far as I know, she's bad news. I'm not sure how we could use that against them." He shook his head, wondering how a little kid like that could be so evil. He almost didn't blame her, though. She was a child and was probably just doing as she was told to do. "I think we all have talked about it as much as we can now, while it's fresh. If they wanted the girls, they wanted their magick out of the equation, so that means we just need to add more to it." He thought about his Spirit Bomb and the attack he wanted to create. He needed something easier to use than the Spirit Bomb, something that took less time to form.

Tien nodded. "I think I'm going to ask Sabriena to teach me how to use magick. It shouldn't be too difficult. We already know how to manipulate energy," he said. "And I'm going to teach her how to do the Solar Flare. With any luck, she'll create a killer Solar Flare and scald their eyes out since her powers are based on light." A smirk pulled at his lips and he gave a satisfied sort of snort of laughter at the thought. "We have to step up our training. I can't go into battle until I know I've given it everything I have. At least the harvest season's almost over. I won't have to worry about the garden anymore and I can devote all my time to training."

Goku involuntarily shivered. "It's getting colder now, how are you going to train outside? I mean, I train outside in the winter, but it's a lot warmer near my house. You're all the way up north here. It's way colder here."

Piccolo snorted, "Wear layers. And you should train out in the cold too, Goku. It's a weakness and if they attack us in the winter, you'll be shivering on the ground while they pummel the rest of us."

Goku whined but nodded, crossing his arms. "I wouldn't care about it then."

Tien gave a soft laugh. "The cold's not so bad when you get used to it, Goku. Like Piccolo said, dress warm. You'll live." Tien rather liked the cold weather if he was honest. Plus he was sort of excited about spending the winter with Sabriena, cuddled up for warmth under the blankets on his bed. He shook his head, clearing his mind before that thought process went too far. He looked at Goku, "What? Were you planning on not training with us this winter?"

Goku pouted, sticking out his bottom lip. "I was. I just didn't think about it being cold." He hated being cold, he didn't know why, but he supposed too many memories of sleeping out on the cold couch with nothing but a thin blanket to cover him hard a part in it. "I suppose it won't be bad once we start training. The exercise will keep my blood flowing and I'll be warm!"

"There ya go," Tien answered. He was feeling better already, thinking about learning magick from Sabriena and having more time for training with Goku during the winter. He relaxed against the headboard, sighing. "I'll talk to Sabriena tonight. I think she's pretty put out with me at the moment for not telling her what happened. I just don't want her to blame herself or end up questioning herself. We all know how badly that can end in a fight if you lose your confidence."

"Just make sure you do," Piccolo said. "You won't be able to work with her if you don't."

"Sorry about all of this," Tien muttered. "But I appreciate you guys coming out here. I feel better now." He stretched his arms over his head, his back popping. The light was growing dim outside. "I guess you guys better head home. It's going to be dark soon."

Goku shook his head. "Jenny and I are here for the night. She's blessing the house tomorrow. So she's spending the night, getting her energy back up and blessing it first thing in the morning. I'm staying and you can't tell me no. I'm back up in case those monsters come back for whatever reason."

Piccolo nodded, moving to stand up. "Goku, that's my wife out there. You'd better protect her. I'd stay, but I know she and I will feel better if I'm with our children."

"Wait, what?" Tien cried as Goku promised Piccolo he would watch over Jenny as well. Piccolo and Goku headed to the door as Tien was left gaping at them. "I didn't agree to this! HEY!" he shouted as they both walked outside, ignoring him.

Tien scowled at the door and threw his legs over the edge of the bed to stand up, wincing only slightly at the tenderness in the backs of his heels. He slowly walked across the cabin and wrenched open the door just in time to see Goku disappear with Piccolo and reappear by himself a moment later. He narrowed his eyes at Sabriena. "You."

She looked back at him with an even stare. "I don't care what you're mad at me for," she said calmly, "but I'm mad at you, too, for not telling me what's going on. So shush. I'm trying to cook."

"Since when did we decide to start having sleepovers at my house?" Tien demanded, ignoring her sass. He growled and rolled his eyes to the sky. He wanted to shout at them that he wasn't helpless, but that horrible witch had just proven otherwise to him.

Jenny couldn't help but smirk at the back and forth between her friend and Tien. She laughed, "Relax, if it really bothers you, Goku and I can sleep out here. In the cold."

Goku shivered at the thought and pouted; he really wanted to stay inside next to the fire. He looked over at Tien. "Easy buddy, it's just so she can do the spell. It's better that we are all here, just in case something else happens. Your energy is low and if they were to come back now, well, I don't think I need to elaborate on that. We are both here for the night; it's only one night."

"Spell? What spell?" Tien asked, blinking.

"Jenny's going to bless the cabin and put up a protective barrier," Sabriena explained without looking at him as she flipped the fish fillets in the skillet over the fire. "And since I live out here now, too, I get equal say in who stays over. I say they stay."

Tien actually thought the idea of Jenny blessing the house was a good thing, but he was still a bit annoyed that they had made the decision without him. "I ought to make all three of you sleep outside in the cold," he said, trying to hide any amusement in his voice.

Goku heard the smile there even though it did not show and he went over to his friend, throwing his arm around the other man's shoulders. "You wouldn't do that to me, would you?" He gave him the best beaten puppy dog innocent wide eyed look he could muster.

Jenny laughed, "What? Sleepovers are only for five year old girls?" She shook her head and leaned back against the log, stretching her feet towards the fire pit. She was more exhausted than she thought.

Tien cocked an eyebrow at Goku. "That look doesn't work on me," he warned.

"Oh, it doesn't?" Sabriena asked, turning around and adding her own puppy dog look.

Tien looked back and forth between Goku and Sabriena. He crossed his arms firmly over his chest. "I hate you both," he muttered and moved to sit beside Jenny near the fire.

Sabriena held out her hand for Goku to give her five. "We win."

Tien ignored the exchange between them and cast a sideways glance at Jenny for a moment. "Jenny, I need to speak to you," he said.

Jenny blinked at him. "Are you alright, Tien? Did you need more healing?"

"No, I'm fine now," he answered. "I have an idea, though. In the last battle, the enemy was armed and we weren't. Well, unless you count that rifle Sabriena had and Trunks' sword. They used swords, spears, bows and arrows. It seems foolish to me that we wouldn't do the same. You said that natural materials could be enchanted with magick." He paused, thinking over his idea. "I have my bow and arrows inside. I want you to see if you can do the same for them as you've done with the armor. Can you do that for me? I know it's a lot to ask, but you're the only one I'd trust to try it."

Jenny smiled at him. "Of course. That's no trouble at all. Anything to make you and Sabriena safer. I think that's a fantastic idea. I'll have to see if we have anything else we can enchant." She chewed her lip for a moment, thinking. "Can I do anything else?

Tien shook his head. "You've got plenty you're working on as it is. I'm not going to ask for anything else." He frowned as he looked down at her. "Isn't anyone helping you? It's not fair if you're working on this by yourself. The other girls have magick, too. They should be helping you. If Sabriena was farther along in her training, I'd send her to help with the armor, but as it stands, she still has a long way to go."

Jenny shook her head. "Everyone's spending all their time training. I can manage on my own. But thanks." It was nice to know that someone acknowledged the hard work and time she was putting into protecting everyone.

"I think I'm gonna walk around for a bit," Goku said, looking out over the yard. "I'll make sure that they didn't leave any nasty surprises behind." The puppy jumped up and followed him as he crossed the yard. Goku smiled down at him. "You coming with me, boy? Well come on, then. Big, tough dog."

"That's his name, by the way!" Sabriena called out after Goku.

He paused and turned back to look at her. "Huh?"

"Dog," Sabriena answered. "Tien named the dog Dog. Isn't he creative?"

Goku blinked down at the puppy. "Well, I guess that works! Come on, Dog!" he laughed and headed out to walk near the tree line.

Sabriena looked at their dinner, deciding she could leave it for awhile. "I'm gonna clean up the cabin," she said and headed inside.

"You know, I got to thinking about something," Jenny said to Tien, crossing her arms over her chest and leaning back a little more against the log. The temperature was rapidly dropping with the setting sun.

He looked at her out of the corner of his eye. "Oh?" he replied, watching Goku as he walked the edge of the yard, Dog bounding after him, barking as big as his puppy voice would let him.

"I was just reminded of the time when Paige was kidnapped from my own home. When they took my baby, right for under our noses, I didn't know if I would ever feel safe at the Lookout again," she said, looking out across the yard. "So whether you accept that or not, I know how you are feeling right now. You feel violated in the worst way possible. Like there is no way you are going to shake that feeling, that you always have to look over your shoulder, that you'll never be good enough to fight back, to protect that which you hold dear. I don't think there is one person of our group... our family… who hasn't been fed a dose of humility by these people."

Tien took a minute to absorb her words. He was so wrapped up in his own humiliation that he hadn't even considered the fact that Jenny and Piccolo knew that feeling of having their home violated. Truth be told, they probably knew it better than anyone else. He ran his hand across the lower half of his face, gripping his chin for a moment. "I didn't even think about that, Jenny," he said softly. He drew a long breath through his nose and stared at the ground in front of him. "I don't have a whole lot of... stuff, you know? I don't want it. What you see here is all I have. And while it may not be much, this is my whole world." His voice dropped quieter. "If I lost any of this, I don't know what I'd do. I was so wrapped up in thinking about myself that I forgot that you and Piccolo have gone through even worse. Sorry."

Jenny shook her head. "No, you don't have to apologize, I understand, I really do. When it happened... I wish I had the protections in place before it all happened. And then afterwards, I couldn't sleep for an age." She looked up at the darkening sky, the first stars were starting to appear. "And then the horrors we encountered in the castle... They singled the Saiyans out, picking them off one by one in hue he guise of a game. This is all some sick twisted joke to them."

Tien snorted. "A joke? There's nothing funny about this. But I know what you mean. They're twisted. You should've heard her laugh when she was tormenting me. And that little girl with her." He stopped and shivered. "I felt sorry for the kid at first, thinking she was a victim or something, but she's just as twisted as the rest of them. She looked like a ghost." He looked at Jenny then, "I've heard how hard you're working on that armor. For what it's worth, I want you to know that we all appreciate what you're doing. And if there's any thing more I can do to help, you just let me know, okay girl?"

Jenny smiled and nodded. "You keep supplying that leather, you've done more than enough. I'll put a rush on your armor, so you can have it and get used to it, and I can go ahead and bless that bow and arrows of yours if you like. Should give them something to think about the next time they dare show their faces." She looked at him, seeing him calming down. "You're all right, you know? I know it's hard to go through this. I know we will all be glad when this is all over."

A small smile pulled at the corner of Tien's mouth. "You're all right, too, kid," he said and leaned his elbows on his knees, snickering when Dog pounced on Goku's boots and tripped him up.

Sabriena finally reappeared, carrying a bucket of dirty water that she carried to the edge of the cabin and slopped out onto the ground. "You guys ready to eat?" she asked. She looked out across the yard and called, "Goku! Supper's ready!"

Tien nodded as he realized how hungry he was. "What'd you fix?" he asked, his stomach suddenly growling in hunger.

"Fried fish and taters and cornbread," she answered. "Nothing fancy, but it sounded good to me."

Goku grinned as he came over. "Oh wow! That sounds delicious!" he cried, his stomach growling loudly, "I love your cooking Sabriena! Thanks for feeding us!" He winked at her. "I still have to figure out a way to take you back to my house to be my personal cook!"

Jenny chuckled in amusement as she accepted a plate from Sabriena. "The man who loves to eat and one of the best cooks on the planet. Good heavens. That's going to end well. Better keep an eye on her Tien!"

Tien chuckled. "As long as she still cooks for me, I don't care." He eagerly tucked into his dinner, eating for a minute before he spoke to Jenny again. "So I noticed Piccolo was looking a bit more under dressed than normal," he stated, recalling the fact that Piccolo was only in his dark purple gi. "Did you catch him in the middle of something? I usually only see him without his cape and turban if we're fighting."

Jenny made a weird noise between a snort and a cough, leaning away from Tien as she pressed a fist to her lips.

Goku noticed and now that he thought about it, Piccolo had been missing his cape and turban, something he had always seen the Namek in. "Yeah, what's up with that? I mean, weren't you out all morning with Sabriena? There's no way you two could have been... uh... you know."

Jenny was smirking as she gazed into the fire. "The cape and specifically the turban both had an unfortunate accident with my daughters, a few matches, and gravity."

Sabriena gave a shriek of laughter and had to cover her mouth to keep from snorting while Tien squeezed his eyes shut, his shoulders shaking as he imagined little Paige setting fire to Piccolo's weighted clothing. "I can't imagine he's too happy about that," Tien said, fighting the laughter in his voice.

Goku threw his head back, laughing out loud, "Oh no! How did they get a hold of it?"

Jenny smirked again and looked back at them. "Oh. He took a nap and the girls must have gotten a hold of it... and then matches... and then were specifically instructed to push daddy's special clothes over the side of the Lookout. It was really quiet unfortunate."

* * *

They ate their dinner and visited for a bit until it was dark and getting too cold to stay outside much longer. Sabriena got up and announced that she would get the beds ready.

"Let me help you," Jenny offered, jumping up and following Sabriena into the cabin. She frowned at the freshly scrubbed spot on the floor. This shouldn't have happened.

"Thanks, Jenny, for everything," Sabriena smiled as she got the fire going in the fireplace. The weather was still warm during the day, but it could get chilly at night even now in the early fall, and she wanted to make sure it was warm for their guests. "I feel a lot better with you and Goku here tonight."

Jenny nodded, "I know you do. You know, I get it. I really do. If those bastards come back, we will give them hell. I just don't know what else to do. You know?"

Sabriena sighed. "The only thing we can do is train. It just seems like there should be something more." She was furious with herself for leaving the cabin that morning. Yes, Tien was healed, but that didn't erase the experience. Once she had the fire blazing in the fireplace, she went to the hope chest at the foot of the bed and started withdrawing the animal pelts and Tien's bearskin cloak. "These ought to be soft enough for you and Goku to sleep on. Sorry there's not an extra bed."

"It's fine," Jenny answered. Her eyes went wide as she looked at the pelts and she reached out to run her hand over one. "Oh my god, it's so soft! You're not gonna hear me complain about this." She took an armful of the furs and set about making herself a bed on the floor.

Sabriena piled up some more of the furs right in front of the fireplace for Goku. She laid Tien's big cloak over the top and folded up a couple of the softest rabbit pelts as a pillow.

Jenny had already kicked off her shoes and crawled into the makeshift bed. "Ohhh my god," she purred. "I'm never leaving." She was so warm and comfortable under those furs, she thought she might sleep for a week.

Sabriena shook her head at her friend as she fell asleep almost immediately and Sabriena went to the wardrobe, stripping off her clothes and pulling on Tien's big white T-shirt. She crawled into the bed and sat up, pulling the quilt and blankets over her lap, waiting for Tien and Goku to come inside. If Tien thought he was going to sleep without telling her who had hurt him, he was sadly mistaken.

The two men and Dog entered the cabin a short while later and Goku blinked at the pallet of furs next to the fire. "Is that for me?" he asked, feeling hopeful. Oh, that looked so comfortable. Much more so than the couch that Chichi usually made him sleep on.

Sabriena nodded. "I hope it's not too close to the fire. I can move it for you if-"

"No!" he cut her off, already pulling his boots off. "It's perfect." He happily pulled back Tien's cloak and flopped down, sighing contentedly as he covered up with the cloak. "Perfect," he repeated, gazing into the hypnotic fire, listening to it crackle and pop. "That's it. I'm moving in," he yawned.

Tien chuckled and shook his head. "Sleep well, buddy."

"I will," Goku answered, yawning deeply again as Dog nuzzled against him and tried to crawl under the cloak with him.

"Dog, no," Tien scolded. "Get in your own bed."

"Aw, Tien, let him stay," Goku protested. "He's not bothering me."

Tien sighed through his nose, but let it go. He kicked off his boots and stripped down to his boxers before he crawled into bed. He normally liked to sleep naked, but with guests over for the night, he decided he better not.

Sabriena waited until she was sure Jenny and Goku were asleep before she turned on Tien. "You tell me what happened. Right now," she demanded.

He sighed. He'd been expecting this. He pressed the heels of his hands into his eyes for a moment. "The Atlantians followed us here. They were looking for you," he finally admitted, knowing he couldn't keep it from her much longer.

"Wh-What?" she gasped. "They were HERE?"

He nodded, dropping one arm to look at her. "I didn't want to tell you because I didn't want you to worry. It wasn't your fault," he said softly. A knot was forming in his throat and angry tears were threatening to fall again.

She went to him, laying over his chest and buried her face into the side of his neck. "I'm so sorry, baby," she whispered to him. "I should've been here. I could've protected you."

He shook his head, "This is exactly why I didn't want to tell you. It's not your fault!" He cupped her cheeks with both hands, staring into her eyes. "I'd do it all over again to protect you," he said in a soft, but fierce voice. He kissed her firmly, sliding his arms around her. He didn't care if Jenny or Goku suddenly woke up and saw him in that moment. All that mattered was that for the time being, he had her in his arms.

"Tien, what are we going to do?" she whispered, laying her head on his chest, listening to the sound of his heart.

He pulled the blankets up over them and rolled to his side, turning her so he could curl around her body. He always slept on the outside of the bed; it made him feel like he could protect her from the outside world. "We're going to train like animals," he answered. "And when we finally face them in battle, we'll make them pay for everything they've done." He kissed her cheek, pulling her back tightly against his chest, and nuzzled into her pretty blonde hair. "I swear to you, baby. They won't get away with this."

* * *

Author's Note: Long chapter is LONG. I go sleepy nao. You review, yes? Yessss. Night-night. Zzzzzzzz.


	8. Enchanted

Chichi was grumbling to herself the entire flight as she drove out to Tien's cabin in the early morning light. She'd called Capsule Corp and Kame House, both of which hadn't seen anything out of her husband. There was only one logical place left to find him, although she suspected all along that was where he was. He'd disappeared the day before without so much as a goodbye and she hadn't seen or heard from him since.

She landed in front of the cabin, sneering at it as she got out of her car. She'd only been here a couple of times in the past and she had never liked it. How on earth that man lived like this, she didn't know.

Goten climbed out of the car behind her, blinking at the cabin with interest.

"Wait here, Goten," Chichi barked and the little boy shrunk back against the side of the car. Chichi marched up the steps and without knocking threw open the door, her eyes narrowing at her husband who was sound asleep near the fireplace. "AHA! I KNEW IT!" she cried. "Goku, WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN?! Couldn't you at least call or let me know what you're doing?! I was up all night wondering where you were!"

Goku woke with a start, a shiver working its way up his spine and it wasn't from the chill in the little cabin. He blinked as he looked up at his wife, "Uh...morning Chichi." He pushed himself up, the chill of the cabin air wrapping around him, the fire had nearly gone out. "I stayed the night here because Tien was attacked yesterday. Jenny is going to bless the cabin today, but until she could, we wanted to make sure the people who hurt him didn't come back over night. I'm so sorry I worried you, Chichi, I should have called." He felt a little happy that she was worried about him enough to come looking for him.

Chichi crossed her arms over her chest, scowling at him. "Yes. A phone call would have been nice," she snipped. "Or, you know, you could have COME HOME."

"I really am sorry; I should have thought to call you. You know how I get when my family is in danger," he answered.

Jenny woke to the shrill noise of Chichi shrieking and she grumbled bitterly before she turned and sat up, the furs falling off of her, her short hair sticking out at odd angles. "Good lord... what time is it?" she yawned.

Tien and Sabriena awoke as well, Tien thinking to himself that he'd have rather woken up to see Hybris in his cabin again instead of Chichi. He gave a low groan and rolled to his side, hiding his face in Sabriena's hair, wishing he could ignore Chichi and go back to sleep.

"Your family?!" she shrieked. "I am your family, Goku! Goten is your family! Not these good-for-nothing karate bums you hang out with!" She eyed Jenny, scowling at her. "And just where is your husband, missy? Shouldn't you be at home with him? Marriage just means NOTHING to any of you, does it?"

Jenny growled, "Oh hell no. You don't get to lecture me about how I spend my time. I don't know if you realize it, but there is a war coming and we are all preparing for it. My husband is very much aware of where I am and what I'm doing here."

Goku swallowed hard, regretfully crawling out from under Tien's cloak. "Chichi, you are my family, but so is everyone. We're all a big family." Speaking of family, Goku suddenly realized that his youngest son was not with Chichi. "Wait...where's Goten? Did you leave him at the house alone?"" He focused and felt Goten's energy outside of the cabin, "Chichi! Its freezing out there, bring Goten in here where it's warm and we can all just have breakfast..."

"I'm not eating anything in here!" she screeched, cutting him off. "And neither is Goten! They don't even have running water! You can't expect me to think that anything here is sanitary! And Goten is fine where he is."

Sabriena sat up and rubbed at her eyes and laid her forehead on her knees. This had to be the worst way to wake up in the morning. Is this what Goku was used to? "Mphm," she groaned. "Tien, make it stop."

Tien got out of bed, still feeling tired and sore, and frowned at Goku's wife. "You didn't have to come all the way out here," he stated as he went to his wardrobe and grabbed a pair of pants, hastily pulling them over his boxers. He looked her over. "You look surprisingly well rested for someone who was up worrying all night long."

Chichi narrowed her eyes at him. "Just because I made myself presentable doesn't mean I wasn't concerned. And you just stay out of this! This is between me and my husband!"

Jenny growled, "Not when you are standing in the same room with all of us. Shame on you, he is protecting everyone and you have the nerve to come and screech at him. Do you have any idea what's going on, or are you just worried about that petty little front you want to put on for the world to see?"

Goku looked over at Jenny, a frown on his face, "Jenny, don't. She just worries about me." He smiled back at his wife. "I'm sorry I made you worry. Stay for just a little bit and I can take us all home. I just want to make sure that Jenny is safe while she blesses the cabin."

"Of course it's safe. Who on earth would even find it all the way out here?" Chichi demanded. "Goku, I swear, you worry too much and about all the wrong things!"

Dog crawled out from under Tien's cloak where he had slept all night with Goku, stretching and yawning, then looked at Chichi and growled.

She wrinkled her nose at the big puppy, but ignored it. "I'm sure they're perfectly safe! You need to come home this instant, mister! I've had about enough of you gallivanting all over the place! You should be at home where you belong! Honestly, spending the night away from home... What kind of a fool do you take me for? If these big, scary bad guys were really going to take over the planet, don't you think they'd have done it by now?"

Goku blinked and shrank back just as Jenny stood up and got to her feet. "Weren't you listening?" she spat, irritated that her sleep had been interrupted so early. The sun was just now starting to peek above the horizon. They all could've gotten a couple more hours of sleep before they had to get up. "I see those ears on your head, but I'm starting to wonder if you use them. You probably can't hear yourself over the sound of your own self-righteous voice. Tien. Was. Attacked. Here. Here! As in, this cabin, where you are standing right now. Good lord. Get out while I bless the house and he is all yours."

Goku winced, "Guys, its alright, don't fight! Chichi means well."

"Oh like hell she does," Sabriena grumbled and got out of bed. "If that was the case, she wouldn't be pitching a bitch right now."

"You watch your mouth, missy!" Chichi snapped, eyeing Sabriena in the big T-shirt.

Sabriena rubbed at her eye with her middle finger. "How about you watch yours?" she countered. "You're in someone else's home. You'd think you'd mind your manners a bit more."

Chichi was sputtering in anger. How dare anyone question her manners? "THIS is what you call family?!" she cried, rounding on Goku again. "They are trash! Did you hear how she just spoke to me?" Chichi's attention was drawn to the floor as Dog growled more and barked at her, jumping side-to-side as if he wanted to murder her shoes. "Get away from me, mutt," she warned.

Goku was hurt at that. "Chichi! They are not trash! And he's not a mutt! He's a purebred... ah... Great Dane?" He shook his head. "It doesn't matter. They are not trash, Chichi; I don't know how you can say that! They've been through a lot over the past day and we are all stressed with the war approaching."

Jenny hid her smirk at Dog. She couldn't help herself but to think what a good little dog he was. She wished she had brought Paige with her. She would have loved to watch her daughter call Chichi a bitch again.

Goku shook his head and continued, "Well... you did kind of... come in here unannounced. You didn't knock or anything." He grasped her arm and lead her to the door. "Come on, let's go sit in the car while Jenny blesses the cabin."

"Get your hands off me!" Chichi snapped, jerking her arm violently out of Goku's grasp. "I'm not just going to SIT in the car. I'm going home! Unlike the rest of you, I have work to do today! Now either you come home with me right now, or don't bother coming home at all!"

Tien wanted to shake that woman. How she could treat Goku like this was beyond him. And more to the point, he didn't understand why Goku put up with it.

"You're a real piece of work, you know that?" Sabriena spat. "Get out of here! He'll come home when he's ready! You don't get to dictate his time!"

Chichi narrowed her eyes at Sabriena, "He is my HUSBAND. That means I do get to tell him when to come home. Now mind your own business!"

Goku felt something in him twinge at the way Chichi talked about him, like he was almost a piece of property to her, but he had to have heard wrong. He told himself that she was just concerned about him and that's why she was in such a bad mood. He sighed, thinking he was screwing things up again.

Dog pounced on Chichi's boot, biting it and growling for all he was worth.

"Get off!" she shrieked and shoved the puppy harshly away with her foot, making the little dog yelp in surprise.

Tien's eyes flashed as he grabbed up the dog, but before he could say anything, Sabriena spat, "You are a stone cold BITCH."

"Hey! Don't kick Dog! He doesn't know any better!" Goku scolded his wife. He was torn. He wanted to go home with them, play with his son, but he didn't want to leave; he couldnt leave his friends now. Jenny would no doubt be vulnerable when she was casting the spell and then what if someone came back to finish what they did with Tien yesterday? Goku turned to look at Sabriena with a frown on his face, the hurt look there, "Sabriena. Please. I'm sorry. It's not her fault, its mine. I should have thought, I should have called her and told her not to worry."

Sabriena handed Dog to Tien and clenched her hands into fists at her sides, her shoulders shaking as she stared at Goku. He shouldn't be apologizing to her for this, trying to cover for his wife's bitchiness. "I... you..." she stammered and stomped her foot. "I have chickens to take care of," she declared suddenly and stormed out the door, slamming it behind her. She looked at the little boy who was shivering next to the car and frowned, but marched around the side of the cabin to her chicken coop.

"Get out of here," Tien growled in a dangerous tone. "You're not welcome in my house."

Chichi scowled at him. "Fine! Like I want to be here in the first place." She turned to Goku once more. "I'm taking Goten and I'm going home. I suggest you think long and hard about your priorities before you step foot back in that house. Or one of these days you just might not have a home to come back to."

Goku frowned at Chichi. "I love you, Chichi. I love Goten, more than life itself. Aren't those the priorities you want me to have?" His shoulders slumped when she didn't answer. "Okay, come on, I'll walk you out to the car." He went outside, seeing Goten shivering by the car, his eyes going wide at the sight of his son. "Goten!" He hurried over and scooped up his little boy, whose teeth were chattering. "You are freezing kiddo!" He cuddled with him, holding him close as he tried to warm him up. "You alright buddy?" he whispered, an irritation rising up in him that Chichi had left their son out in the cold. She hadn't even left the car running to keep him warm or at least let him stay in the car against the chill wind.

Goten shivered against his father, wrapping his little arms around his daddy's strong neck. "I missed you," he whimpered. He hated it when daddy wasn't at home. He curled into Goku's embrace, feeling warmer already.

Chichi walked outside, her arms crossed over her chest, staring at them. "Oh, Goten, quit being such a baby," she scolded. "It's not that cold out here. You're fine."

Goku cuddled his son, looking over at Chichi, his eyes narrowed protectively. "He's too little, Chichi. This is cold for him." He looked down at his son, not wanting him to go back on a long flight back to the house in a cold car. "Why don't you go inside? Get under the furs in front of the fireplace. Chichi, I'll bring him home when we are finished here."

"You'd let our son go in there and lay in those filthy animal skins?!" She shrieked. "What kind of a parent are you?! That's disgusting! No way, mister! Goten, get in the car! We're going home!"

Goten pulled back, a pout on his face. "But, Momma, I wanna stay with Daddy," he protested, bunching his little fists in the front of Goku's shirt. "I'm not too cold. I'm okay."

Goku smiled and nodded at Goten before he looked at Chichi again, his voice a bit more stern than usual. "There's nothing wrong with it, Chichi. Think of it as a morning to yourself! Relax and have some coffee or tea...or you know. You said I didn't help, so let me watch the kiddo and you enjoy your morning." He said heading back to the cabin with Goten, calling over his shoulder, "we will be home for lunch!"

Chichi scowled. "FINE! But when he gets sick, it'll be your fault and YOU can take care of him!" She angrily threw herself into the car and slammed the car door shut before taking to the sky.

Tien was sitting on the floor, looking Dog over, making sure that he was okay after Chichi had kicked him. "You must have the patience of a saint," he grumbled to Goku as he entered the cabin again.

Goku frowned, rubbing Gotens back, "I'm sorry about that guys. I didn't know she'd come out here like that. You alright Goten?" he asked, setting him down on the floor, lifting up Tien's cloak, "climb on in buddy."

"I'm okay, Daddy," he answered and happily crawled under the furs near the fireplace. He shivered and curled up in their warmth, still warm from Goku's body heat.

Tien was furious. "She made him stand out in the cold?!" he cried. He dragged a hand over his head, not knowing what to think. "He's too little for that, Goku. What was she thinking?"

Goku shook his head, tucking his son in. "Get some rest, kiddo." He couldn't even imagine what time Chichi got little Goten up to get there. He looked over at Dog. "Is he okay? I'm sorry chichi kicked him."

"Yeah, I think she scared him more than anything," Tien answered as Sabriena came back in the house with a basket of eggs.

Sabriena looked at Goten, then stepped around him to start fixing them some breakfast. "Let's get something to eat and then Jenny can bless the cabin. Is there anything you need, Jen? Anything we can do to help?"

Jenny shook her head. "Nah, I should be good. It's more a focusing of my energy than using herbs and stuff." She laughed as the little dog went over to Goten and buried under the furs with him. "Ha ha ha! Looks like he made a friend!"

Goten laughed as Dog licked his face, wagging his tail happily.

Tien smiled at the little boy before he grabbed the coffee and poured cups of coffee for each of them and sat on the floor, thinking to himself that he needed to build some more chairs if they were going to start having company over.

Sabriena fixed their plates, even one for Goten and sat down next to Tien to eat. "I don't know why you put up with her, Goku," she muttered. "You could do so much better."

Goku chuckled, taking the coffee from Tien and a plate from Sabriena. "She's my mate, Sabriena. I love her with all my heart," he said. "It's for life." He stared off a moment before he dug into his food. "Mmmm, this is delicious Sabriena! Goten! Eat up! This will warm you up!"

Goten didn't need telling twice and dug into his meal, his mouth watering as he ate. "This is awesome, Miss Sabriena!" he managed to say between mouthfuls. He was ravenous, eating even faster than his father. He'd been sent to bed without supper the night before because he hadn't finished his homework on time, but he didn't dare say that to his father. Momma would get mad at him, saying he was a tattletale.

Sabriena tried to give the little boy a small smile and returned to her food. She always felt so uncomfortable around kids. They were whiney and needy and sticky. Babies she didn't mind, they couldn't talk back and were pretty cuddly. But that was where her affection for children ended. She smiled to herself again, happy that she would never have children of her own.

Goten finished his plate, looking sheepish as he sat it in his lap, wondering if it would be rude to ask for more.

Goku blinked over at his son, surprised he finished so fast. "Good heavens! You've got quite the appetite today, little man! Do you have any more Sabriena? If not, he can have mine. "

Jenny finished her plate and went to sit in the middle of the cabin, closing her eyes and concentrating, bluish light coming from her hands, growing and starting to flow into the wood around her.

"Yeah, there's more," she said, getting up and refilling his plate.

"Oh, wow, thanks!" Goten cried and dug in again as if he hadn't eaten in days. "This.. is so good..." he said, scarfing down as much as he could shovel into his mouth.

"Hey buddy, try to be quiet, okay?" Tien said softly. "Jenny's trying to concentrate. We don't wanna bother her."

Goten's eyes went wide and he nodded, ducking his head back down to his plate, trying not to make any noise as he ate.

Goku chuckled at his son, reaching over and ruffling his hair.

Jenny smiled, "It's alright, I'm putting good feelings into this, it's okay." She relaxed and pushed more into the blessing, thinking of protection with harm to none. That no one with ill intentions could break in and harm them again.

Tien watched in fascination, trying to see how she did it. It didn't look much different than drawing out his own energy. But it was different somehow. He couldn't feel her power level rising, nor could he feel any specific energy gathering in her hands. He had to figure this out. He was not going to fall victim to those people one more time. He refused to.

A calm seemed to spread throughout the cabin, radiating from Jenny and Tien began to relax, feeling safer by the minute.

"Show off," Sabriena muttered in a teasing sort of way.

Goku chuckled and sat back to watch, sipping his coffee. He couldn't explain it, but he felt safe, just calm and comfortable. It was nice there. Of course, he'd always felt comfortable at Tien's place. It was like camping all the time. Now if he could just get Tien to move his cabin down south where it was warmer…

Jenny finally opened her eyes, the last of the light fading from her hands and dispersing through the cabin. She opened her eyes, "Tien, your bow and arrows... before I forget."

Tien nodded and got to his feet, grabbing up his bow and quiver. He debated for just a moment before he grabbed the smaller bow and arrows as well, and set all of it next to Jenny on the floor. "Sabriena's, too, if you don't mind," he asked politely. He sat back down to finish his coffee, an excitement welling up in him. He would have to figure out how to test it, to see if it would work. If it did, he'd feel much better about facing the Atlantians in battle.

Jenny's eyes widened as she picked up the bows, they were beautiful. She knew she didn't have to ask if he had made them, she knew he did. She could already feel his energy in it, no matter how subtle that energy was. "No worries." She said, closing her eyes, and focused on the magick she needed, the same magick she used to enchant the armor with. Both bows and arrows were much smaller than the cabin, so it was easier and faster to enchant them. She was exhausted by the time she finished, setting them down and wavered from her spot on the floor.

Sabriena was worried as she watched her friend. "Maybe you should lay down for a bit," she suggested. "You look a little pale."

Tien picked up his bow, running his hand over it. He nearly shivered as he felt the magickal energy in it. "Thank you," he said to Jenny as he slung his quiver over his shoulder. He looked around thoughtfully, trying to figure out a good test for it. "I wanna test it out. Got any ideas, Goku?"

Goku grinned. "Well… What could we test it out on?" He watched as Jenny leaned back against the side of the bed a smile on her face at a job well done.

"Test it out on anything. I've never tried that on arrows before, but they shouldn't break, or it will take a lot to break them, so keep track of them. I wouldn't recommend shooting at the house. There's still a chance they could pierce through the logs," she warned. She yawned, looking sleepy. "The magick in those is more aggressive than what I cast on the house. It's a bit different. Even though the house has magick in it now, magick can still break through. It's more like equal forces now instead of one being less than the other."

"That's what I'm counting on," Tien answered. "If this works, then they won't be able to use their magick like a shield anymore. They won't be able to stop it."

"He won't lose them," Sabriena promised, picking up her bow and arrows. "Tien never lets anything go to waste." She pulled the bow over her chest and looked up at Tien. "We could go hunting. Those feral hogs are vicious. It takes a lot to kill them with our arrows, but now that they're enchanted..."

"Should be a piece of cake," he finished for her. "Good idea. Let's go."

Jenny chuckled, her eyes growing heavy, "You do that, I'll stay here."

Goku chuckled and grabbed her shoulder, stopping her from falling over. "Easy, there, kiddo. I think you wore yourself out. You did great."

Jenny gave a weak laugh. "I think I'm gonna lay back down," she said, crawling over towards the makeshift bed on the floor. "I'll head home in a couple hours."

"I'm tired, too," Goten said, rubbing his eyes with his fist and yawning. He threw himself down on Tien's cloak and sighed happily in front of the fire, his eyes drooping.

Goku smiled at his son and then looked at Tien and Sabriena. "You two go ahead. I'll keep watch over these two. Be careful."

"You, too," Tien answered and headed out with Sabriena, anxious to test his newly enchanted bow.


	9. Blinding Light

Sabriena leaned over with her hands on her knees, trying to catch her breath. Tien had been relentless in their training, pushing her harder than he'd ever done before. She knew and understood why, but that didn't make it any easier, didn't make it hurt any less. Ever since Hybris had shown up at the cabin, all Tien wanted to do was train. From the moment they got up in the morning until they finally fell into bed at night, it was nearly constant training. Chores were done in a rush and meals were eaten quickly so that they could use every possible minute of daylight for training as the days began to grow shorter and the weather turned colder.

He taught her how to throw energy blasts, how to use them as a weapon in battle, as well as how to block an attack thrown at her. Goku stopped by most afternoons to train, save for the weekends when Gohan was out of class; Goku still trained with his son on those days. But the rest of the week, he came by the cabin to train with them, always pushing them to do better. Sabriena couldn't believe how much she'd improved since she'd first come out the cabin to train. She didn't have much choice in the matter, really. With Tien and Goku as her teachers, there was no time to slack off, no room for error. She learned quickly, picking up attack combinations in just a couple tries. It was either get it right or get hurt and she figured out pretty early on to pay very close attention so that she could learn each move and progress to the next. Tien may have been her boyfriend and Goku her friend, but in the yard they were her teachers and they didn't put up with anything less than her best. She appreciated that.

Tien mentioned that he wanted to teach her a new technique, but as of yet, he hadn't told her what it was. He said she needed to build up her strength and speed first, to get used to energy waves and using them before she tried any of the signature attacks. She understood why, but she was starting to get impatient. She wanted to move on to bigger and stronger attacks so that maybe she could start combining them with her magick like the other girls had learned to do.

Sabriena stood up and wiped her forehead with the back of her wrist, sweating even though the air was getting colder. "Are you ever going to show me this new technique?" she whined.

Tien frowned. He wasnt sure if she was ready for this technique. Although if he stopped fooling himself, he knew deep down that she probably was. Truth be told, he was curious about how strong her attack would be, considering her magick was based on light. He knew he was only stalling; stalling and thinking that maybe the war would stay away if he did so. But he was only hurting her in the end if if held her back. "You think you're ready for this?" he huffed and stood up straight.

Sabriena nodded eagerly.

"Fine," he said. "I want you to stand in front of me, over there by the cabin. You don't need to be close for this part. You have to see this, experience it so you know what your enemies will feel and how you can utilize that."

Sabriena gave a small smile and a nod and went to stand in front of the cabin. She wasn't sure what to expect, but she squared her shoulders, her hands bunching into fists, prepared for whatever he might throw at her. She was excited to learn something new, always eager to learn a new technique that might help her in battle. She didn't understand at first what everyone else saw in training. It had seemed like grueling work and nothing more, but after so many months under Tien's teaching, she found herself excited about it. Pushing herself further and further, seeing how fast she could move, how hard she could hit, how much she could take, always striving to better herself. "All right," she said, "I'm ready."

Tien almost couldn't help the smirk that tugged at his lips as he shook his head and braced his feet before raising his hands and spreading his fingers wide so they framed his face with Sabriena in his sights. He didnt know what he would do without this woman in his life and he had to make sure that she stayed in his life. And that meant teaching her everything he knew. He gathered his energy up and roared, "SOLAR FLARE!" The burst of white light shot out from him, blinding everything in his path... namely her.

Sabriena screamed and clapped her hands to her eyes as the light blinded her, making her eyes feel like they were being burned out of her skull. She dropped to her knees, rubbing at her eyes, growling in pain. "Dammit, Tien!" she cried. "You could've warned me."

Tien stood up straight and walked over to her, chuckling a bit and feeling slightly guilty at the same time. "Stings a bit, doesn't it? That attack has saved my life a few times."

She cracked an eye open to try to look at him, but her vision was blurry, the flash of light leaving spots swimming in her vision. She forced herself to her feet, still rubbing her eyes. "Okay... tell me how you did that."

He held up his hand and formed a small ball of energy there. "See how regular energy glows? I just concentrate a little harder." His brow drew together as he focused and the little ball grew brighter. "And I can make it as bright as its namesake. Of course, transforming the energy like that takes the harm out of it; it'll just make you go blind for a minute or two."

"No kidding," she said through clenched teeth as her vision started to clear. She blinked several times until she could see properly again. "Man, that hurts." She drew a deep breath and exhaled, trying to calm herself for a minute. She wondered to herself if he wanted her to learn this because of her powers. It would make sense - it should be easy for her to do this attack. He'd taught her how to throw energy blasts now, although he and Goku hadn't taught her any specific attacks yet like the Tribeam or the Kamehameha. She wasn't ready for those just yet, but this one seemed fairly straight forward. "So how is it done, exactly?"

"Okay, so you know that when you fly, you push your energy out through your feet to lift yourself in the air, right?" he asked, pausing as she nodded before he went on. "And to throw an energy wave, you concentrate it in your hands. Well, the Solar Flare causes a blast of bright energy behind you. So you have to do three things at once. Concentrate the energy behind you, at the base of your neck. Then you have to push it out away from you in every direction, almost like you're flattening it, understand? And while you're doing that, concentrate not on making the energy strong, but making it bright."

Sabriena blinked several times, running the instructions over and over in her head, nodding slightly until she thought she understood. "Okay. Let me try this."

She strode forward to the place in the yard where he had stood before. She calmed herself further, then looked at him as she gathered her energy, holding her hands up by her face like he had. She felt a bit silly, she'd never done an attack with a specific name before... She concentrated on gathering up her energy, deciding not to try it in a transformed state just yet, and shouted, "SOLAR FLARE!" as she pushed the energy outwards.

Tien wasnt expecting her to grasp on to the concept so quickly, but he should have known better. The flare was fantastic and he immediately found himself laying on the ground, his hands covering his eyes, his head burning, eyes watering from the sheer force. He knew she didnt really have to be powered up to have her magick play some part in that. He should have known better, "Holy cow, girl!" he gasped.

Sabriena's eyes went wide. "HA!" she laughed. She hadn't expected it to really work on the first try. The endless hours of training were paying off. She put her hands on her hips as he sat up and rubbed at his eyes. "It didn't seem as strong as yours," she frowned. "And your eyesight is more sensitive than others. Are you sure that's enough?" She chewed at her lip, thinking she'd have to keep practicing to get it to work better, make it stronger. "I want it to burn their freakin' eyes out if I have to use it."

Tien groaned as he sat up, rubbing at his face, looking over at her with his vision blurred. "Oh, I dont think you'll have to worry about that. If you use that attack at your full power, everyone's going to go blind." He shook his head, blinking his eyes, testing his sight. "It might just actually have the power and heat of a real solar flare. You will kill someone with that attack." He let himself flop back on the ground, thinking it over as his eyesight returned.

She giggled and trotted over to him, flopping down on his chest with an "Umph!" She rubbed her nose against his, giving him a quick peck on the lips. "Aw, c'mon old man," she teased. "You're not wearing out on me, are you? Should I try it again? Oooo! Should I transform and try it? I wanna see what happens."

Tien chuckled, letting her lay on his chest. He loved that feeling. "Fine, fine, go on and transform, but lets move away from the cabin. I dont want to see it destroyed when you are learning this." He really would hate to see the cabin go up in flames because her attack was too much to handle. He had to see it at full power before he could decide what they could do next with her training.

She grinned widely and kissed him again before she jumped to her feet and offered him a hand up. They walked out across the yard, facing away from the cabin with Tien standing behind her. "Are you going to be okay there?" she asked worriedly.

"Oh yeah, anyone behind you won't be affected," he assured her. "Go on. I'm curious to see what happens."

"Okay," she said, squaring her shoulders again as she concentrated. She felt the magick surge through her system as her hair lifted around her shoulders, turning into a brilliant light of its own. She slowly opened her eyes and lifted her hands to the sides of her face, fanning her fingers out as she concentrated her energy and her magick into one force before she screamed out, "SOLAR FLARE!"

Tien never got tired of watching her transform, her hair even more golden than that of a super Saiyans. What he hadn't been expecting was the sheer force that was exuded from her attack and he found himself shielding his eyes at the last possible second. Good gods, that was blinding even from behind! He lowered his arm and surveyed the damage. The very trees and the grass in the field near his house were on fire as if a huge fireball had been shot straight through.

Sabriena's eyes went wide and her lips formed a small 'o' as she stared at the damage she'd done. "Oops!" she giggled nervously and dared to peek up at Tien. He probably wasn't going to be very happy with her for that one. "Well where's Jenny when you need her?" she joked, thinking they needed to put out the fire somehow. She bit her lips together and turned to her boyfriend. "Tien, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to do that..." She tucked her chin and looked up at him with big eyes, hoping he didn't yell at her for putting too much into the attack.

He chuckled at her, drawing her in close and tipping her chin up towards him. Although he didn't want to see his whole forest reduced to nothing, he was impressed. "Hey. Don't be sorry; that will be one heck of an attack on the battlefield. But, ah... just for me, how about you tone it down while we are training? Or else you might end up with charred remains for a boyfriend," he said, hardly believing his ears. To call himself a boyfriend sounded so... young. He leaned down and kissed her sweetly. "You did great, and the fires already starting to burn out."

She felt relief swoop through her as he smiled at her. She thought for sure she would've pissed him off with that one. She stood on tiptoe to kiss him. "Mmmm, my boyfriend," she giggled. "I kind'a like the sound of that." It was the first time he'd called himself as such.

She looked at the trees as the fire started to die out, some of the branches crumbling away from the trunks of the trees. "Wellllll," she drawled, scratching the side of her nose, "it should come back real nice and green next year, right?" She threaded her fingers into his. "Come on. You mentioned you wanted me to teach you magick. I learned something new today, so now it's your turn," she said, leading him down to the river.

Tien smiled at her, shaking his head as they walked back, heading down to the river, the refreshing cool breeze a welcome respite from the heat of the solar flare not moments ago. He really wanted to learn this magick. If he could understand it better, maybe he could use it, predict how his opponents would think, what they had to do to make their magick work, how much of a strain did it put on their bodies.

Sabriena stopped near the edge of the water and sat down cross-legged on the cool, smooth rocks as Tien did the same, facing her. "Okay, so it's sort of like gathering your own energy, except instead of pulling it from within, you concentrate on gathering it from everything around you," she explained. She held her hands out, concentrating on doing it slowly so he could see how it was done. "It feels different than using your own energy." Little, tiny balls of yellow light started to form around her hands, slowly gathering into one orb between her palms. "I talked to Jenny about this the last time I saw her and she showed me how she does it. Her magick turns blue and she said Leelee's is grey because of their powers." She held the ball of light for a minute before she released it, the orb breaking up and the lights returning to the river, the trees, the rocks, the wildlife. "Magick is everywhere, in everything. You can draw on it if you concentrate hard enough. Anyone can."

Tien watched, holding his hands out, "The concept is easy enough. I've seen Goku do it several times when he gathers energy for the spirit bomb. Never attempted it myself though." He focused hard, trying to draw up the magick. He wasn't even sure what it was supposed to feel like. It was hard to not pull from his own energy and instead use just the energy of that around him. He didn't have... what was the word... direct access to it like he did with his own body. After a moment he sat back and wiped the sweat from his forehead. "So, this is what it's like to be the student again."

"Yeah, sucks, don't it?" she laughed. "Try again."

He sat up straight again, concentrating hard, a look of frustration crossing his features. Every time he thought he had it, he realized he was just using his own energy instead. "Gah, this is maddening," he growled. "It's like trying to write with your left hand. It just feels wrong."

Sabriena frowned. She'd been expecting him to be able to do it easier than she could; he seemed so in tune with the land here. She thought for a moment before she sat up a little straighter. "Okay, let's try something different," she said. "Close your eyes." She nearly snickered at his skeptical look, but insisted, "Tien, close your eyes." She gave a little smile as he listened to her. Gods, he was so handsome. She shook her head; she had to concentrate, too. She remembered something Gramma had had her do once when she was little. "I want you to concentrate on everything around you," she said in a soft voice. "Listen to the river, to the wind. Feel the earth beneath you. Now imagine there are roots growing from your body, connecting you to the world around you. Slow your breathing. Every exhale the roots grow stronger and deeper... every inhale draws the magickal energy up into your body."

Tien would have blinked at her if he'd had his eyes open. The practice was something he could easily imagine, eyes opened or not. He had to mentally smack himself. He'd played the role of teacher for so long that becoming the student felt foreign to him now. It had been several years since he learned from anyone else.

He slowed his breathing concentrating, reaching out into the world around him, slowly feeling the coolness of the earth seeping into him, like a refreshing breeze on a hot summer day. So this was the energy of the world around him. No wonder it took Goku a while to soak it all up. It was slow, calm, patient like time didn't matter. Like a slow, steady heartbeat reverberating through every single thing around him. He was suddenly surprised that he hadn't tapped into this before. It was ancient, sacred, something to be respected, but solid and sturdy enough to be relied upon, too. He opened his eyes again, focusing on his hand, drawing up the energy around him, through him and pushed it up out of his hand like it was his own. The bright little ball was warm in his palm as he grinned, "Heh."

Sabriena gave a little squeal and clapped happily. "See?! I knew you could do it!" she cried, her eyes dancing. She leaned in, staring at the little ball of light. "Oh my god, I'm so proud of you, baby!" She leaned up and kissed him, smiling against his lips for a second before she pulled back. "Okay, so, Jenny said one of the first things she did was learn to shape it and then use it like a shield. But maybe you should keep practicing gathering it first," she said thoughtfully.

Tien chuckled and nodded, "I had a question. I was wondering about the healing aspects of this stuff. You know, just in case I end up with a busted knee that can't be healed normally." He looked up at her and the energy in his hand dissipated. "But you can teach me that once I've gotten used to this. I have to strengthen that first, you are right."

She nodded. "You know I'm still a little new to this myself, but we'll work together and figure it out," she smiled. "You wanna keep practicing or should we take a break for a bit?"

Tien chuckled and nodded. "Let's keep practicing for a little bit. Keep practicing the Solar Flare and not powered up, okay?" He grinned at her, "I'd still like there to be a forest at the end of the day." He looked up towards the cabin. "And maybe you should go over there to do it, too. It's hard to concentrate when my eyes are stinging and my head is reeling from that super attack of yours."

"Okay," she smiled and got to her feet, kissing his cheek. "Remember, draw energy from around you, not from within you. Relax. You can do it," she grinned, imitating the way he used to guide her through her meditation when she was first learning to draw out energy. She walked up to the yard a bit more and turned her back to him, making sure that she didn't transform this time. Using just her energy, she raise her hands to either side of her face and screamed out, "SOLAR FLARE!"

When Goku used his instant transmission to teleport himself to Tien's cabin for a quick training session, he hadn't been expecting to end up in front of a tremendous solar flare. He didn't even have time to shield his eyes before he was on the ground, clutching his eyes, pain singing in his head. "ARRRGH!" he screamed as he fell to his knees. "You Gotta be kidding me!"

Sabriena froze, her eyes going wide in shock as Goku fell to the ground. "Oh my god, Goku!" she cried and ran to him, dropping to her knees next to him. "I'm so sorry! I didn't see you in time to stop it!" She felt horrible - even though that one didn't have any of her magick in it, it was much more powerful than the one she'd hit Tien with. "Tien was teaching me a new technique and I was just trying to practice it. Oh, dammit, I'm so sorry!"

Goku tried to smile but couldnt manage it as a wave of pain passed through his head, "Oh boy... That's some attack!" He blinked a couple of times, but his vision remained black and he fumbled around for her, looking for purchase as he wavered, his hand brushing her breast accidentally, but in his blindness and pain, he thought it was her shoulder and he pushed, trying to get to his feet.

Tien heard the commotion and quickly put two and two together and hurried up towards the cabin. "Goku! Are you alright?" he called He froze when he saw the other man, his eyes squeezed shut, his hand touching Sabriena.

Sabriena's eyes went even wider and she grabbed Goku's wrist and slung his arm over her shoulders. "Easy there, boy," she laughed, her face going red as she shot a nervous glance at Tien. "Let's get you over to the cabin so you can sit down."

She put her arm around his waist to help guide him back to the cabin. "I really didn't mean to blind you like that," she said to him as she walked slowly, trying not to let him trip. They finally reached the steps and she turned him around and guided him to sit down. "Are you okay?" she asked timidly.

Tien couldn't help but let the smile grow on his face and he threw his head back and laughed. The blush on her face, Goku's innocent, blinded look; how could he be mad?

Goku moved and sat on the step. "Oh yeah, I'm fine, just can't see. Good heavens, Tien! How long have you been teaching her that one? Feels like I've been hit by a train in my eyes. I can't see a thing! If you use that in the war, the other side is going to be toast!"

A tiny smile pulled at Sabriena's lips. "That was only my third try," she admitted. "You should see what I did to the trees over there." She said pointing, but gave a little snort of laughter at her own stupidity when she realized he couldn't see where she was pointing. She sat down beside him and looked at the trees once more, a sickening feeling coiling in her stomach as she thought about what would have happened to him if she'd been transformed when she did that. "Oh gods," she gulped, feeling the blood drain from her face. "Tien, what if I'd been powered up?"

Goku chuckled, "If you had been powered up, I think I would be a smear on the ground right now! Holy cow! You just learned that? Good work!" He blinked again, trying to make sense of the grey shapes that were coming back to him. "Good grief! I hope I'll be able to see again. Tien, yours sting, but heck, she's topped that. Must have something to do with her magick. Good call on that."

Tien shook his head at Goku's optimism before he looked to Sabriena. "But you weren't powered up and you did as I asked. Hopefully next time Goku shows up, he'll remember to keep his eyes closed for a few extra seconds and not look at that attack directly."

Sabriena exhaled slowly and nodded, her fear subsiding a bit, but she made a mental promise to herself to never practice that attack again unless Goku was already there and standing behind her. She knew she shouldn't have said anything, but it was just far too tempting. "You never know. He might keep popping in just so he can feel me up again," she laughed, bumping her shoulder playfully against Goku's arm.

Goku's eyebrows went up into his hairline and he looked at her with wide eyes, trying to make out the grey fuzzy shapes. "I did what!?" His face turned red, he could feel it burning. "Sabriena, I swear I didnt mean to! Tien! I'm so sorry! You know I would never!"

Tien raised a hand and shushed him, but remembered Goku still couldn't see properly and dropped his hand back to his side. "Goku, relax, I know you couldn't see. No harm done... I think. Unless that shade of red is permanent on Sabriena's face."

Sabriena threw her head back and laughed. "I know you didn't! I'm just teasing you," she laughed. She linked her arm with Goku's and leaned against his shoulder. "I know, I'm just irresistible." She laughed harder as he sputtered and Tien shot her a warning look. "Oh, come on, I'm trying to lighten the mood here. I feel horrible for blinding you," she pouted.

Goku pouted too, letting himself relax as she leaned against him and he put on his best face for her, color and more defined shapes coming back into his vision. He gave her his big puppy dog eyes. "Well... you could repay me with some food... I'll call it even then!"

Tien just shook his head and laughed, "Geez Goku, its always like you are starving or something."

"Oh all right," Sabriena sighed heavily and got to her feet, giving a little giggle to show she was joking. "He is always starving," she said to Tien. "I was just about to fix some lunch anyway." She leaned over and kissed Tien, grateful that he had a sense of humor about the situation and didn't seem to get jealous or possessive about it. "Just as long as you don't as for, ahem, 'dessert'... I think we'll be okay," she teased Goku, throwing her head back and laughing as he turned an even deeper shade of red.

* * *

Author's Note: I know, I know. I should've updated sooner. I'll do better next time. If you guys leave a bunch of reviews, I promise I'll get the next chapter out quicker! *bats eyes innocently*


	10. Pins and Needles

"Dad, come on," Lindsey groaned as she stood in Bulma's lab, staring at Goku, who had his back pressed against the wall, shaking his head. "You have to get fitted for your armor!"

"No one told me there were going to be needles involved!" Goku protested loudly, his eyes flicking nervously over towards Jenny and the cushion full of straight pins.

Jenny sighed loudly, rubbing at the bridge of her nose as Goku cowered in a corner. "Goku, there is nothing medical about these! They aren't even needles! They are pins!"

Goku shook his head, wild look in his eyes. "They are still sharp!" he argued, "And they feel a lot like needles!" Chichi would often stick him accidentally when she was fitting him for clothes. It wasn't fun.

"They don't even hurt!" Lindsey argued back, grabbing a pin from the cushion and sticking it through the top layer of skin on the tip of her finger. "See? I can't even feel it!" she grinned, wiggling her finger at him with the pin still in it.

Goku gagged and turned his face away, covering his mouth with his hand. He felt sweaty, his knees weak, his hands starting to shake.

Lindsey frowned at him. "Seriously? Daaaaad. Come on." She paused and looked down at her fingertips. "I wonder if I could sew my fingers together like this," she muttered.

"Okay, OUT," Jenny scolded, pointing at the door.

Lindsey blinked at her friend. "Whaaaaaat?"

Jenny shook her head, her lips pressed to a thin line. "You're not helping. You're only making it worse. You've been fitted for your armor, now go home."

"Awww," Lindsey frowned and pulled the pin out and stabbed it back into its cushion. "I never get to have any fun."

"There is nothing fun about needles!" Goku shot at her. He loved his daughter, but damn if she wasn't a pain to deal with sometimes.

"All right, all right, I'm going," Lindsey cried, grabbing her purse and slinging it over her shoulder. She went to Jenny and hugged her. "Thanks again, babe."

"Yep," Jenny answered, still frowning over at Goku.

"See ya on Saturday, Dad," Lindsey said as she headed for the door.

He gave a nod, but didn't answer. She was so paying for that in training.

Tien was excited about today. He didn't know why, he never got terribly excited about anything, but he was anxious to see what this armor would turn out like. Supposedly Jenny had the sketches for everyone's armor already done and he couldn't wait to see it all come together. He knocked on the open lab door, nearly bumping into Lindsey.

"Oh! Sorry, Tien. Hey, Subbie," Lindsey muttered and ducked out the door, shaking her head about Goku and his refusal to cooperate with Jenny. And he had the nerve to call her stubborn?

"We're here!" Sabriena announced loudly. She paused and cocked an eyebrow at Goku. "What on earth is the matter with you?"

Jenny turned to wave at her new guests with an annoyed look on her face. "Nerves of steel here won't let me fit him because he is afraid I'm going to stick him with a pin."

Goku shook his head. "Can't you just use tape? That's not sharp at all!"

Sabriena clapped a hand to her face. "You can't use tape, it won't hold together right," she snickered.

Tien sighed. He knew about Goku's phobia of needles. "Here, Goku, I'll go first," he offered. "Jenny's not going to stick you. I'll prove it." He paused and looked at Jenny, "Ah, that is, if you're okay with me going first."

Jenny nodded, laughing, "So long as I get some form of work done today. Now get over here and strip."

Tien cocked an eyebrow at her, but peeled his shirt off as Jenny grabbed up her supplies.

"I see what's going on here," Sabriena smirked. "This is just an excuse to see all the men in their boxers." She tried to take a step forward, but Goku had a hold of her shoulders and pulled her back to him.

"Damn, you figured me out," Jenny chuckled and beckoned Tien over to the area she was working in, noticing Goku edging himself along the walls to go and hide behind Sabriena, trying to use her as a shield. It was too easy, Jenny thought as she quickly pinned what she needed to and where in less than five minutest showing Tien the designs and asking him if he had any altercation requests.

"Looks good, girl," Tien answered. "I can't wait to see it when it's finished."

"Goku!" Sabriena laughed as he held her by the arms, blocking Jenny from him. "You big baby! Look. She didn't stick Tien. And he's harder to work with; he's bigger than you." She tried to wriggle away from him and laughed as he continued to hold onto her.

Tien turned and looked at Goku. "Come on, Jenny knows what she's doing. She's not going to stick you. Or would you rather Sabriena go next?"

Goku peered warily at Tien, looking him over quickly for any kind of pokes or holes in his skin, but saw nothing. He looked to Sabriena, a pleading in his dark eyes for her to understand. "Would you mind?" he asked

Sabriena sighed, not understanding this man at all. The strongest man in the universe and he was afraid of getting stuck with a straight pin? "Okay, okay," she said in a soothing voice. "Just for you." She shucked off her heavy coat as she looked at what Jenny had created for her. "I guess you'd get a better fit if I didn't have all this on, huh?" she asked. Without a second thought, she peeled off her shirt and her jeans, casting them aside. It was just Jenny and Goku after all.

Tien couldn't help the little smirk on his lips as he looked at her in the little pieces of blue lace. Gods, she was gorgeous and it made his ego swell to think that she was his. His eyes locked onto hers as she picked up her clothes and walked towards him.

Jenny just laughed as her half naked friend made a show of walking over to stand in front of her boyfriend. She looked over at the Saiyan and almost broke out cracking up. She knew that these three had been training a lot over the months, however, she imagined Goku and never seen Sabriena like this, if his face was anything to go by.

Goku's eyes followed her, drinking up every curve, every bounce. He mentally smacked himself as he remembered accidentally grabbing her the other day when she blinded him with the Solar Flare. He tore his eyes away and cursed himself. Chichi would kill him if she saw him staring like that and he suddenly felt very guilty.

Tien had suddenly found himself oblivious to the fact that anyone else was in the room. He smirked at her as she handed her clothes to him. "Hold these for me, won't you, baby?" she purred.

"Not a problem," he answered, leaning down to kiss her, nibbling on her lower lip for a moment. She turned and walked over to Jenny and he couldn't help but tip his head slightly, admiring her rounded ass, the way the lace only covered the line between her cheeks, the light blue standing out against her tanned skin.

"Okay, bitch," Sabriena giggled to Jenny. "Pin me." She cast a glance over her shoulder at Goku. "Now watch. She won't stick me. You'll see."

Jenny threw her head back and laughed, replying with a wink at her, "Oh baby, you couldn't handle it if I pinned you." She winked at her friend and grinned.

"Oh, I think I could," Sabriena replied, very much aware of the looks her husband and Goku were giving them. She bit her bottom lip to keep from cracking up. She wondered how much teasing she and Jenny could get away with before the guys either lost it or told them to knock it off. "You can pin me any way you want," she purred, leaning slightly forward to emphasize the curves of her chest and her hips.

Goku swallowed thickly and backed up again, until the cool wall met his back. His mind flashed with images of Chichi, memories of her, all of the photos they had together, but that was too late. He just couldn't seem to tear his eyes away from Sabriena.

Jenny chuckled as she pinned Sabriena down to where the leather pieces of the armor was ready to fit on her like a glove. She sighed as she noticed Goku trying to get away again but this time not because of any accidental sticks, but she could have sworn it was because he was glancing over at the fine young woman in front of him. And her scantily clad buttocks.

"Perfect!" Sabriena grinned. She carefully removed the pieces and went to Tien, who was staring at her with a hungry look in his eyes. She flashed a big smile at him and took her clothes back, slipping them on. She looked over at Goku, "See? I told ya it was fine. Your turn." She paused and looked him up and down. "Now you strip and let her pin you," she added with a laugh and shot a wink at Jenny.

Goku was a bit dumbfounded at her but he nodded and tugged off his shirt and pants, leaving himself in nothing but a pair of boxer shorts. He shivered against the cold air. Jenny chuckled at Sabriena's unique but effective was of getting people to do things.

Goku had his eyes shut the whole time while Jenny worked, and it was true - she was done before he really had time to be afraid of the needle.

Sabriena tried not to smile too much, proud of Goku for overcoming his fear for the moment. "See? That wasn't so bad," she said. She met Jenny's eyes and nearly laughed again. "Men are easy. You just gotta give 'em a distraction," she laughed. "OW!" She grabbed the back of her head and glared at Tien.

"Behave," he warned. Goku was in enough trouble with Chichi as it was. The last thing his friend needed was for Chichi to have more reasons to make accusations.

"Well, it's true," Sabriena grumbled, rubbing her head. "If any of the other guys give ya fits, just flash 'em, Jen."

Jenny couldn't stop her laughter as she finally put away the pins and Goku hurried to get dressed again, happy to be warmer. He didn't want to lie to his mate, but he also didn't want to get the cold shoulder from her again they were on a turn for the better. He could feel it, after that dinner had gone so well, he had to be making progress with her. Yes, he had been sleeping on the couch nearly every night, but she hadn't brought up the divorce thing again and that was progress, right?

"Well, I guess we'd better head back," Tien said.

"Just a sec," Sabriena said, "I gotta use the restroom." She hurried out of the lab and down the hall.

"Yeah, I gotta go, too," Jenny said, checking her watch. "I'm supposed to go to dinner with Dad here in a little bit. I'll see you guys later."

"Thanks, Jenny," Tien said with a wave and looked at Goku, motioning for the Saiyan to follow him out into the hall. He shut the door behind him and rubbed at the back of his neck. "Ah, sorry about that," he said sheepishly. "I know those girls got a little... you know... carried away acting silly and all. I don't want that to come back on you. Sabriena just doesn't think sometimes. I'm sorry, man."

Goku shook his head. "Nah, it's alright. I hardly noticed her," he reassured his friend, "I'm glad she was a little silly. It helped distract me from what was really going on." He grinned at his friend. "Did you and her need a lift back to the cabin?" he asked

"Sure, if you don't mind," Tien answered, relieved that Goku wasn't upset or worried about it. "There's still a few hours of daylight left. You wanna hang out and spar or something?"

"Ready!" Sabriena grinned, bouncing down the hallway to them. She wrapped her arms around Goku's waist and hugged him. "See? That wasn't so bad, was it?"

Goku chuckled. "If I have to get needles again, I am kidnapping you, Sabriena." He sighed happily, looking at Tien again. "Sparring sounds great!" He let his arm wrap around Sabriena's shoulders and when he felt Tien grab onto them he easily teleported them back to the cabin, thinking eagerly of working off the pent up energy he felt in his system.

* * *

Vegeta sat back in the chair, eying his daughter across the table as she gave her order to the waiter. He'd never been to this steakhouse before, but he already liked it better than the fancy restaurants Bulma favored or the obnoxious sports bar Trunks would occasionally talk him into going to. This was nice, quiet, but not stuffy and uptight.

He sipped at his water, already wondering what she was up to. He could see the little glint in her eyes as if she was terribly pleased with herself, but he decided not to comment on it. Not yet. She was working on something, he was sure of it, and he didn't want to spoil it for her. He knew she'd worked like crazy that day, scheduling a bunch of their group to come in for fittings on the armor. He didn't know how she was able to get all of it done in one day. "So did you get everyone fitted for the armor today?" he asked.

She chuckled at him, leaning forward on the table, resting her head in her hands. "That would be insane; I could never get everyone fitted in an entire day. I made sure to schedule everyone over the next few days though. I was working on something else today, too." She reached down to her purse and pulled out the simply wrapped gift and offered it to him, a wide grin on her face.

Vegeta cocked an eyebrow at her, but accepted the gift. "What on earth did you do?" he wondered aloud as he pulled the ribbon from the box. He opened the box and his eyes went wide for just a second before he smirked. It was a pair of black leather gloves with the fingers cut out. "Oho, nice," he grinned, taking them from the box and slipping them on. The leather was thick but supple and fit his hands perfectly. They hit him at about mid-forearm, just like the gloves that matched his old Saiyan armor. But there was something about them that sent a chill down his spine and he cocked an eyebrow at her. "Did you make these?"

Jenny grinned wider at him and nodded. "You bet I did. I wanted to make you something special for today and I found a pattern for those and I just used some of the leather Tien brought over. They are enchanted, too." She smiled brightly at him, winking, "You do remember what today is, don't you?"

Vegeta stared at the gloves, flexing his fingers, a smile on his lips. He thought hard, trying to think of what could be special about today. His eyebrows furrowed for a moment, but he couldn't think of what it could be at all. "Typical woman," he muttered. "Enlighten me."

Jenny snickered, sipping at her water a moment. "Yeah well, it is rather obscure. I wouldn't make you sleep on the couch for it. But three years ago to the day is when you first started training me. Remember? The unholy terror I was?"

Vegeta raised his eyebrows as the waiter brought their food over and set it on the table in front of them. "How could I forget? You were a nightmare. You didn't have a clue what you were doing," he chuckled. He admired the gloves again. "I can't wait to try these out in training. Just let Catherine try to smack me with those vines of hers again." He gave Jenny a nod. "Thank you, Jennifer. They're perfect."

Jenny smiled at her dad, happy to just have a father who cared about her, who loved her and didn't smack her around because he was drunk. He was the perfect dad. "Eat up," she grinned, "the bill's on me too."


	11. A New Enemy Revealed

Jenny wiped the back of her hand across her forehead as she finished stirring the huge pot of deer and vegetable stew. "Whew! This is hot work! When do we get to eat it all? Are you sure we have to wait for everyone to get here?" she asked, looking over at Sabriena who was bringing out the loaves of fresh bread she had just made. A movement caught her eye and she turned and gave her daughter a stern look, "Paige! Don't jump on Dende like that!"

Dende just laughed and waved her off, "Nothing to worry about, she's not hurting me, yet... Though, I'm sure with the training Vegeta's been giving her it's only a matter of time."

Jenny rolled her eyes and looked over at her husband who was holding their littlest one. She couldn't help but smile at the broad shoulders and his head, free from the bothersome cape and turban. He still hadn't figured out what happened to his weighted clothing, but he suspected his wife was behind it and Paige pretended to be deaf every time he tried to ask her about it.

Sabriena smiled at the tables set up in the yard as she and Bulma put out the last of the place settings. "I can't believe we actually got a warm day for this," she grinned. She'd spent most of the day cooking her heart out, using up some of the abundance from their harvest that year. She'd even talked Tien into not only letting her have this big party for their friends, but also into helping her decorate the yard. There were huge pumpkins set around the bases of some of the trees, and cornstalks bound together to add to the fall harvest theme. She turned to Jenny and grinned, "We can eat as soon as Goku decides to show up. I think he and Chichi are the only ones missing."

Piccolo snorted, "He's probably having trouble getting that wife of his to agree to come." He sighed, he didn't eat often unless the mood just struck him, but Tien had invited him and Jenny had insisted on spending some time with their friends and family before the war began.

Jenny snorted, "But it's food and she won't have to cook! I think she is fighting a losing battle." She looked over at Sabriena, "How did his date night go?"

"I dunno," Sabriena answered. "He never said and, frankly, I don't want to know." She gave a violent shudder and pretended to gag.

"Don't worry," Lindsey grinned, bouncing baby Phoenix in her arms as Gohan set up the highchair they'd brought with them. "We came up with a game plan. If he followed it, I imagine their night went pretty well." She laughed as Sabriena continued to stick her finger in her mouth, making gagging motions.

"Sabriena," Tien said in a warning tone, "be nice."

"Not when it comes to her," she answered. "I don't have to be."

Gohan laughed at her antics. "You know, Sabriena, we don't usually agree on a whole lot of stuff, but I'm with you on that one. Thinking about my parents like that…" He trailed off and gave a shudder of his own.

Tien sighed and shook his head, turning his attention back to Paige, who was dragging Dende over to look at the huge pumpkins. "We oughta let her and the other kids carve jack o'lanterns," Tien mused. "Those pumpkins are bigger than she is."

Jenny's eyes went wide, "Yes! Brilliant idea, Tien! I love carving pumpkins! I once carved one to look like it was throwing up, used the left over pumpkin guts I pulled out of him as the vomit."

Tien laughed at the mental image of Jenny's pumpkin. "That sounds lovely," he chuckled sarcastically before he went to his friends standing near the edge of the yard.

"Long time no see," Krillin greeted him. "What have you been doing?"

"Same thing I always do. Train," Tien answered.

Yamcha was frowning at the blackened space of some of the trees around the yard. "What happened?" he asked Tien.

Tien snickered and shrugged. "My student over there decided we needed more room for training."

"Do what?" Krillin asked, watching his daughter and little Trunks running across the yard, giggling like mad.

"She did that with the Solar Flare," Tien said, a bit of pride in his voice.

"Dude, no way!" Yamcha exclaimed and looked at the trees again. "I've _never _seen a Solar Flare do that!" He blinked, his eyes wide, staring at the damage again. "Wow."

"Me either, but just wait until our next battle. Anyone who gets in the way of that attack is toast," Tien grinned.

Goku finally appeared in the yard, smiling brightly, carrying Goten in his arms and holding Chichi's hand in his. "Hey guys! Sorry we're late! Oh boy that smells good!" He kissed Goten's cheek before he set him down on the ground. "Wow this place looks great!"

Tien grinned when Goku appeared. "Ah, we knew you'd be here eventually. You can't turn down food."

Chichi pulled her hand away from Goku's and crossed her arms, looking sour. She had never liked Tien's place and she certainly didn't have any interest in eating the food prepared out here. But Goku had insisted that everyone was going to be there and she didn't feel like having to make up an excuse as to why she wasn't present but her husband had been.

"PAIGE!" Goten cried happily, running over and nearly tackling the little namek as he hugged her.

"Ewww! Goten! Girls have cooties!" little Trunks sneered, wrinkling his nose.

Paige scowled at Trunks. "Nuh-uh! You has cooties!" she shot back.

"You all have cooties," Sabriena muttered to herself.

Jenny laughed as Goten tackled her daughter and the two hugged a moment before Paige jumped onto his back, her little arms wrapping around his shoulder as she firmly pointed to the table. "We go eat!" she exclaimed.

Goku laughed, "Girl's got my own heart, I agree! Let's eat! I'm starving!" He pulled out the chair next to where he was sitting for Chichi, he had been reading up on romantic stuff since Lindsey showed him the interwebs.

Chichi sat herself firmly in her chair, looking at the table that was heavily laden with food. Why did they have to do these things all the time? Goku knew she didn't like spending time around his friends, yet he insisted going to every single stupid event these girls dreamed up. Everyone else sat themselves at the table and began filling their plates.

Goku's mouth was watering and his stomach rumbling. "Man, I can't wait to eat," he grinned at Sabriena.

"Silly Saiyan," she teased and bumped his hip with her own before she went to sit at the table with Tien. She laughed at Lindsey, who was sitting across the table from her with baby Phoenix in a high chair. "Why are you making faces like that?"

"She always makes faces when she feeds him," Gohan sighed, giving his wife a look.

Lindsey was scooping little bits of food out of a jar, feeding the baby with a spoon, pulling funny faces every time he took a bite and the food dribbled back down his chin. "Nom, nom, nom," she said to him as the baby blinked at her and drooled some more.

"Piccolo does that, too, when he feeds Alice," Jenny snickered and cringed away from her husband as if expecting to get smacked.

He crossed his arms and rolled his eyes to the ceiling, shaking his head. It was completely untrue.

"So they finally managed to talk you into taking a day off, huh?" Gohan asked Dende, who was sitting on his other side at the table. "We miss seeing you."

"Yes, Jenny was rather insistent that I come today," Dende answered. "It's hard to get away when there's so much work to do. It's nice to be here, though." His voice went a little quieter as he spoke to Gohan. "But I still can't help worrying about what's coming, Gohan. I can feel it. The earth is trembling. It's the war, I know it is."

"Dende," Jenny said in a warning voice, giving him a look.

"Sorry," he said quickly, his cheekbones flushing purple. Jenny worried over him too much, always saying that he worked too hard and needed to take more time for himself. He couldn't help it though. No matter what he did, he could always hear the earth crying out to him. But he'd promised her he wouldn't talk about it today and do his best to push it from his mind.

"This is interfering with my training, woman," Vegeta growled impatiently as he finally made his way over to the table, his tail twitching irritatedly in the air behind him.

"Hush," Bulma scolded. "You can spare a few hours to spend time with us. Besides, I think it's a good idea for all of us to get together and think about the good things in life. Everyone's been so stressed out lately."

"Whoa, Vegeta! When did you get your tail back?" Seventeen asked in awe, staring at it. Vegeta had lost his tail long before Seventeen had ever known him, but he'd heard about it.

"That doesn't concern you, Android," Vegeta snapped as he wrapped it securely around his waist and sat down at the table. He glared at Seventeen as if daring him to say something more about it, which the Android of course did.

"Looks wicked, dude, that's all I'm sayin'," Seventeen went on. He grabbed a bread roll off the table and bit into it, working the bread to one side of his mouth before he spoke again. "Can you, like, pick shit up with it? Or like, hang from a tree?"

"Seventeen!" Leelee scolded in a hushed voice. Oh, he was going to get them kicked out before dinner even started. She could feel her face going hot.

"No," Vegeta smirked, speaking in a low, even voice, "but I can use it to bitchslap anyone who annoys me."

Seventeen threw his head back and laughed, nearly choking on his bread, and he had to reach for a glass of water.

Bulma smiled at her husband and went to sit next to him. "Play nice dear." She gave him a wink and a quick kiss on the cheek.

Goku smiled as he looked around, friends and family together. It was nice to have a day together like this; plus, he got to eat more of Sabriena's cooking. He was also distracted by Vegeta's tail. "At least you can control your transformation. I'd be too afraid of the full moon! Who knows what I would do."

Vegeta shook his head. "I've told you before - you shouldn't be afraid of what you are, Kakarot. You're a Saiyan. You should be proud of it." He sighed through his nose as the food was passed around, everyone filling their plates. He didn't understand the other man's fear of what they were. He should've been embracing it, not trying to fight it all the time. "Maybe if you ask her nicely, Jennifer could whip up a potion for you too, if you're not too scared that is."

Goku shot a glance at Chichi and Bulma didn't miss it, nearly rolling her eyes as she saw the other woman, once again denying her husband, denying what he was. Goku laughed, "Nah, I'm happy the way I am, but I'll keep it in mind."

Jenny chuckled, "Just let me know! I could get you and your kiddo a two for one deal if you are interested."

Gohan laughed at that. "I don't think mom would be very happy if Goten had his tail back," he said.

"And that's why you're the smart one in the family," Chichi said snarkily as she picked at her meal.

Seventeen leaned across the table at Jenny, wagging his eyebrows at her. "Think it would work on me?"

"Oh good lord," Leelee huffed and smacked Seventeen's arm.

"She's gonna beat you if you don't stop," Catie warned as Trunks nodded his agreement, his mouth full. He'd purposely not eaten that morning just so he could stuff himself extra full at their dinner.

"Wow, how did you guys grow so much food?" Leelee asked, spooning mashed potatoes onto her plate, hoping to change the subject of tails.

"The Beltane ashes Gramma Arthusia gave us all, remember?" Sabriena answered. "She said it would bless the garden and it worked! We had a huge harvest this year."

"Dog, NO!" Tien scolded as the Great Dane wandered over and sat down, staring at Dende, wagging his tail hopefully.

Dende laughed and reached out, scratching behind Dogs ears. "Hey there, boy! Looking for scraps huh?" He smiled at him, "you'll have to take it up with Tien before I give you anything, I'm not getting into trouble today."

Goku piled food onto his plate, reaching for one of the deer steaks the same time as Vegeta, both of the their forks landing in the same piece, "Hah! Fight you for it!"

Jenny looked over at Sabriena, on her comment about the ashes, "I hope you didn't use all of them! Gramma said they have some protective qualities in them."

"Nah, we just used a little bit," she answered, although her eyes were on the two Saiyans staring each other down over the steak, her mind imagining the table being flipped over, the whole party ruined.

"Back off, Kakarot," Vegeta warned in a low voice. His stomach was growling and he wasn't about to be challenged over food at the moment.

Chichi rolled her eyes at them. "Barbarians," she muttered under her breath.

Catie's eyes flicked from Vegeta to Goku, neither of them backing down. "Oh for God's sake," she growled, grabbing up her knife and quickly cutting the steak in two between their forks. "Happy now?"

Vegeta turned to her, narrowing his eyes, "And that just earned you an extra three hours in the GR."

"Don't threaten me with a good time," she shot back.

Goku pulled his fork away looking at the now smaller piece of steak and frowned, "awww."

Dende laughed, "Goku, there is plenty more." He paused, his laughter dwindling and he kept his smile as he looked at Chichi and quickly looked away, towards Paige and Goten, giggling and laughing as they picked food off of each other's plates.

Bulma just laughed at Vegeta's expression and helped fill his plate full. "Eat up, hun, and just enjoy the free food."

Vegeta grumbled to himself and tore off a huge bite of the steak with his teeth, glaring at Goku.

"Oh my god, look at you two pouting," Sabriena laughed. "There's a whole pile of steaks there!"

Lindsey tried to hide the smile on her face, "Saiyans are serious about their steak."

Gohan shook his head, already shoveling food into his mouth. "This is so good, Sabriena," he said, his mouth full.

She smiled and looked down at her plate, cutting a piece of steak, before she looked around, realizing that her guests' glasses were quickly emptying. "We need more wine," she said, starting to get up.

"I can get it," Leelee offered. "I didn't really do anything to help today. Ya'll don't want me cooking. You might get poisoned."

"Thanks, Leelee. It's in the cellar around back," Sabriena said, pointing towards the cabin.

Leelee returned a few minutes later, carrying a crate of dusty wine bottles she'd found sitting on the floor of the root cellar. "I just went ahead and grabbed the whole-" she froze midsentence, her eyes going blank as the small crate slipped from her fingers and smashed on the ground.

"Leelee!" Catie cried in alarm as Seventeen and a couple of the others got to their feet.

"Don't touch her!" Seventeen cried, looking her over. "Baby?" he asked, seeing her wide-eyed, blank look, her eyes turning the swirling, stormy grey. "She's having a vision," he breathed.

Goku's eyes widened and he stood up, remembering the first time he'd seen Leelee have a vision, back when Paige had been kidnapped. None of them had realized at the time what was happening. "Is she alright?! She's shaking!"

Dende had to close his eyes against the assault of emotions and looked around the other guests; they each wanted to know what she saw. He could see Leelee's vision in his own mind and it was important that they saw it as well. "You all need to see what she is seeing. Please sit down... and brace yourselves." He waited until everyone was seated again before he closed his eyes and focused on the energy Leelee was giving off before muttering a quiet ancient word in the namekian tongue.

Leelee blinked and looked around, this time realizing what was happening. She knew she was in a vision and she immediately began to drink in the details around her so she could relay them to the others. She didn't know how long the vision would last - there was never any way to predict that. She found herself on the edge of a small town, the sky thick with dark smoke. She could hear screaming... Blood curdling screaming. She willed her legs to move, faster and faster until she was sprinting towards the center of the little town.

She skidded to a halt as she saw Hybris standing there, her long hair pinned up, laughing as the houses around her burned. "Come on!" she called out. "Someone has to know something!" Through the flames and the smoke, Leelee could see figures moving, dragging people out of their homes as they screamed and begged for mercy. Leelee's heart stopped as one of the tall men threw a woman to the ground, grabbing her arms and twisting them back behind her back until Leelee could hear the bones and tendons snapping. "Where's the book?" he growled as his tail curled in the air behind him. A tail exactly like Vegeta's.

Jenny couldn't believe her eyes. She was seeing the vision as if she were standing in Leelee's shoes. Her heart leapt with fear as she saw the Saiyan tail, instantly thinking of Vegeta, but no… It wasn't him. But then, who could it be? Her mind was on fire with questions as she stared at the Saiyans who were torturing these people.

Goku nearly growled as he recognized Hybris. "YOU! You'll PAY for what you did to Tien! YOU HEAR ME!?" He gasped as he saw the carnage going on around him. The people, men women and children being tied to posts and screaming bloody murder as the figures in darkness mutilated them, breaking bones, disemboweling them. "Oh gods..."

Leelee jumped when she heard Goku's voice in her head. She had to do something, she had to power up... But nothing happened. A cold fury washed over her as she looked at Hybris. "You bitch," she snarled and ran at the witch who had burned her so badly, but all she did was fall right through her.

"Durian! Bring that woman over here!" one of the men ordered. He had a heavy hammer in his hand and a cinderblock set up in front of him. "I bet we can get this bastard to talk."

There was a man behind him, tied to the white picket fence of his own house, begging them to stop. "We don't know about any book!" he pleaded as his wife was dragged in front of him by the Saiyan named Durian. He held her arm by the wrist, positioning her hand over the block. Leelee felt like she couldn't breathe... He almost looked like Goku, but his hair was longer, his face just slightly thinner.

Leelee cringed but couldn't look away as the woman's screams filled the air, accompanied by her husband's sobs and the sickening sound of her hand being smashed.

"Doesn't anyone know anything we want to hear?!" Hybris called out, her arms opened wide as she spun on the spot, a wicked gleam in her eyes.

Goku didn't know what to think, the scene made him sick. A book?! What book were they looking for? How could a simple book be worth all of this? He cringed as he saw the woman's hand being smashed, bits of bone poking up through the skin. He felt like he was going insane, trying to yell at them, "STOP THIS! THEY ARE DEFENSELESS!"

Bulma felt sick as she watched the carnage; was this the future? Was this what happened if they didn't win this war? Or was this happening right now?

Dende trembled in his seat, the emotions of the people there in the vision, the pain, the torture. It was overwhelming. He could feel his stomach churning and he suddenly wished he'd just kept to drinking his water instead of giving in to the temptation of food.

Vegeta could've sworn his heart had stopped when he saw the Saiyans. He knew them. But he thought they had been killed by Frieza's men long ago. They must've been stronger than Frieza had anticipated, for here they were, alive and vicious as ever.

"Come on, Tora!" the tiny female Saiyan called. "Join in the fun!" She grabbed up a child who was screaming for his mother and twisted his head, snapping his neck.

The Saiyans named Tora frowned. "I don't think these people know anything, Fasha," he answered. "They would've told us by now." Saiyan interrogation techniques were brutal, he was no stranger to that, but years of solitude on that god forsaken planet had driven all of them a little nuts.

"Are you a Saiyan or not?!" she spat back at him, grabbing the woman who was running forward, screaming, in tears for the dead child at Fasha's feet. The woman struggled in Fasha's grasp, reaching out for her son's lifeless little body. "My baby!" she bawled. "You killed my baby!"

"And I enjoyed it," Fasha purred, wrestling the woman around to stand in front of her. "Quit crying. I did the little shit a favor."

The woman wailed even louder to hear her deceased son spoken about like that. "Mommy's sorry!" she sobbed, staring into the little boy's blank eyes. "Oh God, WHY?!"

"Tora, end this. Shut her up," Fasha ordered, grabbing the woman by her arms and forcing her towards the tall Saiyan.

"Last I checked, I'm the one that's supposed to be giving YOU orders," Tora replied coolly, crossing his arms and frowning at her.

She ignored him. "Do it," Fasha challenged, her face splitting in a wicked grin.

Tora dragged a hand down his long, handsome face, drawing a deep breath through his nose, pressing his lips together as he stared at the crying woman in front of him. He felt no remorse, no guilt, but it all just seemed unnecessary. He came to this planet looking for a fight. Not to be running around obeying Kadar's orders like a goddamn puppet. It reminded him far too much of working for Frieza. That little sawed-off bastard. Tora loathed the memory of him, how he'd come in and manipulated their king into forcing the Saiyans to work for him, enslaving their whole race… He shook his head, trying to forget the memories of that tyrant. He had to do what Kadar ordered. He and the rest of the crew would've been stuck on that planet for the rest of their lives if Kadar hadn't found them and Tora felt indebted to him for that.

Tora drew his hand back, a pale blue energy growing around his hand as he stared fiercely into the eyes of the sobbing mother. With a cry, he plunged his hand into her chest, wrapping his fingers around her beating heart. Her eyes went wide as he squeezed, crushing the organ in his hand and she slumped lifelessly in Fasha's grasp.

The female Saiyan watched with rapt interest as Tora withdrew his hand. There was no hole in the woman's chest, nor any sign that she'd been injured.

"Oh, you're getting good at that," Fasha crooned, letting the woman drop to the ground next to her child.

Piccolo was shocked by what he saw - men who looked like Goku, they all had tails, they were all brutal and vicious, sparing not woman nor child. And they knew magick. That was the only explanation for the attack he'd just witnessed from Tora. He wanted to rush them in a rage when the child's neck had been snapped, thoughts of his own little girls flashing in his mind. He nearly panicked when he realized he couldn't move, but then he understood that they were seeing this from Leelee's point of view and he had no control over her in this dream-like state. It was almost like being trapped inside her body. Regardless, he'd seen enough. "DENDE, MAKE IT STOP."

Dende shuddered, feeling the terror and barely had enough of himself together to utter the word that freed them all from Leelee's vision. The scene around them began to fade as everyone came back to their senses. He looked down at his plate of food, feeling absolutely miserable. "Now... now do you see why the earth trembles?"

Leelee stood very still for just a moment longer before her eyes turned back to their natural dark brown and she stumbled forward, Seventeen catching her and helping her to her chair. "Did you see that?" she gasped, looking around the table. "Did you... did you all see that? I heard your voices, but I couldn't see you."

Tien gave a nod. "We saw it." He rounded on Vegeta, "I thought you and Goku were the only Saiyans left!"

Vegeta was dumbfounded and he rested his elbows on the table, covering his face with his hands. "I thought we were," he muttered.

Goku glanced to Chichi, wondering if she saw what they saw, "You see now? That's why I am training! So that doesn't happen to everyone else out there!"

Chichi gave Goku a look. "How do you even know that was real? Probably just some cheap parlor trick she learned and got Dende in on," she answered. She got to her feet and stuck her nose in the air, "And I don't think it was very funny."

Leelee stared in shock at Chichi as she marched away from the table, going over by the cars that were parked in the yard. "Bitch," Leelee whispered.

Bulma stepped closer to her mate, she was shaken by what she had seen. "But what does it mean? Is it something that has happened, is happening, or something that may happen? And what was that book they were asking about and why do they want it so badly?" Seventeen looked at Bulma, "Always before, she was seeing things as they happened. That's happening right now somewhere."

"I know nothing about a book," Vegeta said softly, still not looking up at his mate.

Piccolo frowned, what he had seen was brutal and looking around the table, he could see the girls and even some of the men were visibly shaken. What if... what if they weren't ready for this war on a mental capacity? There had been battles, but this was a war and clearly, torture was not below their opponents. Something had to be done. None of them were prepared for this.

Goku felt sick, that was happening right now. RIGHT NOW and he couldn't do a thing to stop it. All of those lives were being snuffed out in an instant. It infuriated him and he sat back in his chair, dragging a hand through his hair as he stared at his dinner plate. He'd been hoping for a day of fun with his family, not this. He frowned over at Chichi, who was leaning against a car, not looking at any of them. She just refused to understand. Goku focused, trying to concentrate on any Saiyan like energies around the planet, but he felt none. "They have to be shielding their energies some how."

Dende looked so pale he was nearly white as he shook in his seat, sweat rolling down the side of his face. Most of it was from the cries of the world, the other part was from the bitterness he felt from Chichi.

Gohan set a comforting hand on Dende's shoulder. "Easy," he soothed. "Just breathe. There's nothing you can do about it. Try to calm down." He didn't like how pale Dende looked, it worried him. He turned to look at his wife, but Lindsey had already scooped up Phoenix and carried him across the yard, snuggling him close.

Jenny squeezed her eyes shut a moment before going to Alice and pulling her into her arms, holding her tightly. Seeing that mother lose her child like that made Jenny sick and heartbroken. She fought the tears in her eyes as she snuggled into Alice's pale hair.

Paige had wiggled out of her highchair and walked over to Goku, tugging on the leg of his pants, looking stern as she scolded, "No badman... you no be badman."

Gohan blinked at Paige. Had she closed her eyes like the adults had?

Goten was sitting in the chair beside Goku, a confused look on his face as he shoveled food into his mouth. "Paige, my daddy's not bad!" he said, swallowing down his food. He looked sternly at her, "You take that back!"

Paige stuck her tongue out at him and crossed her little arms, looking up at Goku a moment before she reached her arms up, making a grabbing motion with her fingers.

Goku blinked down at her, moving to pick her up, looking into her eyes. Did she see that as well? The poor baby girl; no one should ever have to see that, least of all that young. "Paige, I promise you, that wasn't me. I would never harm anyone. Not like that."

She grabbed his cheeks and leaned forward, looking in his eyes a moment before she nodded and started squirming until Goku set her on the ground and she ran over to Vegeta, tugging at his pants leg. "Pawpaw," she said sternly, "no bad."

Vegeta finally turned his head to look down at her and he scooted his plate back before he picked her up and set her on the edge of the table. He met her eyes with a stern look of his own. "No bad," he said softly back to her. He stared into her pretty eyes, the visions of the dead children dancing through his head making him sick. "Now you take your sister and go look at the pumpkins again," he said quietly. "The grown ups are going to talk." He set her back on the ground, watching as she hurried over to her sister.

Jenny set Alice down on the ground and she grabbed her sister's hand, toddling along beside her towards the huge pumpkins at the base of the nearest tree. She looked back at the table of adults, a worried look on her face, but let her sister drag her along anyway.

Tien felt nauseous. Despite all the battles he'd been in, he had never seen anything like that. People not just killed, but slaughtered. Women, children, dismembered in the streets. No matter how many times he blinked, he couldn't get the images out of his head. He cast a dark look down the table at Vegeta. Those were Saiyans - there was no mistaking the armor and the tails. The sheer pleasure they were taking in maiming and murdering those people. He could feel his hands shaking as he clenched them into fists. Not one person in the dining room was making a sound. Still keeping his eyes locked on Vegeta, Tien rose to his feet. "Piccolo. Goku. We need to talk. NOW." Without waiting for them to respond, he turned and crossed the yard, going to stand near the garden behind his house. Vegeta knew Tien meant him as well and followed the taller man as Goku and Piccolo exchanged a look before they stood up, heading after the other two.

Goku had a serious expression on his face. The blood, the carnage, the senseless violence to innocents. He couldn't stand it at all. He chewed on his lip, looking at the other men. "We aren't ready for that. Those girls are not ready for this."

"My thoughts exactly," Tien stated, crossing his arms and looking at Vegeta. Vegeta wouldn't quite look at him, his tail flicking irritatedly behind his back. "Well?" Tien pressed.

"Well what?" Vegeta shot back, his mind on fire with the images he'd seen. Of all things, he hadn't been expecting this.

"Those were your men out there, weren't they?" Tien demanded.

"Like hell they were!" Vegeta spat. "Those were third-class warriors! And I thought they were dead a long time ago!" He crossed his arms, staring at the table, a muscle working in his jaw for a moment as he thought to himself. "This is going to be far worse than we thought," he said. "I do know them."

"What do you mean you know them?" Piccolo frowned. "Old Saiyan warriors? How do we stop them? I imagine cutting their tails off is only going to piss them off."

Goku frowned as well. He didn't like that Vegeta..._Vegeta_ of all people was shaken, "What has you so scared?"

"I thought they were dead," Vegeta repeated. "Frieza sent them on a mission to a planet on the outer edge of the galaxy, then sent some of his men to follow them and kill them once they'd conquered the planet. Frieza's men returned and said that they had carried out Frieza's orders. They must've lied."

"But I thought the Saiyans worked for Frieza," Tien said. "Why would he send more of his own men to kill them?"

"He feared that particular crew, and rightfully so," Vegeta answered. "They're cruel, even by Saiyan standards. He feared their strength. I'll let that sink in for a moment. Frieza feared them. Especially their leader."

Goku felt his blood run cold, Frieza had been a difficult battle on its own and now these Saiyans from the vision were four or five of the ones Frieza feared the most. It sent a chill down his spine and he locked eyes with his fellow Saiyan. "Who was their leader?"

Vegeta drew a long breath through his nose, fixing his eyes on Goku. He wouldn't tell him everything, he didn't need t know all of it, but he didn't see a way around telling him at least this much. "Bardock."

Goku felt his blood running cold. He knew the name of his father, but he didn't know much about him at all. "But..." he stammered, "it couldn't be... He can't be on earth... he's dead, right?"

"I didn't see Bardock in the vision," Vegeta answered. "As far as I know, he was killed by Frieza personally. But that was his crew. I know them. Fasha, Tora, Durian, Daikon, and Kale. They were the most ruthless Saiyan crew out there. They would take on missions that even the elite wouldn't touch. They're crazy."

Tien felt his heart hammer against his chest and he grabbed onto the little wooden fence around his garden. "And now they're teamed up with the Atlantians," he breathed.

Vegeta crossed his arms and looked away, growling, "Fucking Bardock..."

Goku felt a twinge of anger, "What did my father do? It's not his fault his warriors are behind all this!" He scowled but was interrupted by Piccolos deep voice.

"Quiet. Pointing fingers isn't going to do us any good now, is it? The question now is what can we do? None of us could handle anything that reality could throw at us. I know damn well Jenny isn't prepared for that."

"I just meant that it was his crew, Kakarot. Jesus, calm the hell down," Vegeta growled. He huffed, "As much as I hate to admit it, you're right. Jennifer isn't ready for that. Neither is Catherine. Or Trunks."

"They're looking for something," Tien said. "What is it? Some book of some kind?"

Vegeta shook his head. "I never heard anything about a book. But if they think we know, then this is a whole new game we're playing. NONE of you are ready for this."

Goku blinked at Vegeta. "What do you mean, none of us... if we don't know, we don't know. What are they going to find?"

Piccolo shook his head, pinching the bridge of his nose, "Goku, he means that if they are looking for something, then just like in the vision, they are going to be grabbing anyone they want to ask. Even their opponents in the battlefield. They won't care if we know anything or not. They will assume we are lying and use other ways to get information they won't find."

"Exactly," Vegeta agreed. "They'll rip your children apart - literally - just to get you to talk. And if you have no information? They don't care. They'll enjoy it anyway."

Tien swallowed harshly and stared out across the now empty garden. What would happen if they did that to Sabriena right in front of him? What if they used him to get her to talk? Armor or not, this was not boding well. "There has to be something we can do to prepare for this," Tien said thickly, still not facing his friends.

Goku felt sick. He didn't know if he could handle that. He couldn't stand by and watched his loved ones suffering. And there would be nothing that they could say. Nothing that they could do to avoid it if they did get captured, "But how can we prepare for this!? You can't prepare for this kind of thing!"

"We can prepare for it," Vegeta said. "But it's not going to be easy."

Piccolo started pacing, not liking what Tien... what Vegeta... what they both were implying.

Tien turned toward Vegeta, his pulse quickening. He didn't like the Saiyan's tone, but he was willing to do anything to protect Sabriena at that point.

Vegeta regarded them all for a minute. "You're not going to like it. But it's the only hope we have." He stood up a little straighter, his tail wrapping firmly around his waist. "They need Saiyan Elite training. The same program I went through. The program I put other men through. We can't have any more of this every man for himself bullshit on the battlefield. We've lucked out before. But that's not going to work this time. We have to break them down, then build them back up. Teach them to rely on each other, to eat, think, breathe, move together as a unit. It's brutal, but it works. But it's not for the faint of heart." Vegeta heaved a sigh, "Those girls are too damn cocky and mouthy for their own good and you all know it. They have to be taught to obey orders without a second thought. Any hesitation could cost the whole unit. As it stands right now, they're dead if Bardock's crew attacks tomorrow. All of them. Gohan, Trunks and the Android included."

Goku swallowed harshly as he banged a fist against his thigh, but Vegeta's words rang true in his head, "Break them? Vegeta are you sure, you want to do this? If we do that to them, they might not forgive us. If we push them too far..." he trailed off as he ran a hand through his thick hair.

Piccolo shook his head. "They will understand, they will have to understand." He bit his lip, trying to imagine what what Jenny would say. This wasn't going to be pretty or their finest moment, but the opponent was going to force this hand.

Vegeta fixed them with a hard stare. "Oh, they'll hate you," he said in an even tone. "They'll hate all of us. But when it's said and done, when they reach that point of understanding, they'll get over it."

A muscle was working in Tien's jaw as he thought about it. "All right. I'm in. I'll go with you on this, Vegeta, but only because you're the only one with experience in dealing with these... military tactics. I've upped Sabriena's training, but you're right. It isn't enough. What do we need to do?"

Vegeta thought back about his training, the weeks spent in absolute misery that paid off in the end. "We need somewhere secluded. They get no contact with their families. All they have is each other, our guidance, and their own will to survive." He looked around at Tien's place. The river, the forest, the mountain beyond. It was a rough terrain with limited amenities. It was exactly what they needed. He looked to Tien again. "Your place would be ideal."

Tien looked away and groaned. Somehow, he knew Vegeta was going to say that. "How long?" he asked.

"Six weeks at least. Maybe more. Depends on how long it takes them," he answered. "And don't think I'm any happier about staying out there with you than you are having me."

Six weeks, Piccolo thought over in his head. He'd have to ask Dende or maybe Bulma...better it be Bulma for the huge favor of watching over his kids while they did this.

Goku looked serious again. He didn't like the idea, but he trusted Vegeta and he trusted Tien even more and if he was game with this. "Alright. When do we do this? How soon do we start?" He winced. If they did it now, which would be best, the sooner the better, Chichi would chew him out for it. He wasn't sure, but taking the kids away to do brutal military training probably wasn't high on her to-do list.

"Tomorrow," Vegeta answered. "We pack tonight. You don't need much, just a few changes of clothes. Bulma can provide uniforms for them."

"Hold on a second," Tien said, holding up a hand. "My cabin isn't that big. Where is everyone going to sleep?"

Vegeta cocked an eyebrow. "Who said anything about sleep?"

Piccolo suppressed the groan in his throat. This was going to be about as rough as he expected it to.

"The four of us can sleep inside. Surely you have enough room for that," Vegeta finally answered.

Goku looked at Vegeta, his words hitting Goku with a harsh realization. "Vegeta! It's going to be freezing outside! Especially this far north, you can't make them sleep outside!"

Tien nodded in agreement. "I know it's warm today, but the temperature's going to drop tonight. Winter's coming."

"Do you want them to be prepared for this or not?!" Vegeta snapped. He leaned over as he stared at Goku, emphasizing his words. "Your father's crew will put them through HELL if they get the chance. Better to teach them how to deal with it now instead of at the hands of Bardock's crew. Did you not see what they did to those people?!"

Tien didn't like it, but he knew Vegeta's words were true. "He's right, Goku. We can't let them go up against these Saiyans without better training. Everyone needs to work together as a team."

Goku shivered and turned away from them. He hated the cold. Although, he had taken Lindsey out for training when she was recovering and it had been winter. Of course, they had that fancy tent he borrowed from Bulma that kept them nice and warm. "They… they'll have some sort of shelter, won't they? We'll at least give them that?"

Vegeta looked at Piccolo. "I can't work with him," he stated and turned away.

Goku's eyes widened. "You mean we... we're going to be forcing them to sleep out in the cold?! What happens why they freeze to death?!"

Piccolo shook his head. "Goku, I can't believe I am saying this, but that's not the point. They will have to work together to stay warm to keep alive; they will have to learn how to depend on each other instead of themselves. It's just seems a little heartless..."

"Heartless?" Vegeta sputtered, "You think... heartless... SAIYAN. TRAINING! It's all heartless!" These idiots. "We're trying to build soldiers here so that they survive this war! May I remind you that the ones we've fought before were powerful ONLY because of their magick? Add magick to the strength of pure-blooded Saiyans, mix in the cruelty of Bardock's crew and you've got yourself one hell of an adversary. It's ALL going to seem heartless. But it's to save their lives!"

Piccolo growled low in his throat, glaring at Vegeta. "I didn't say I was against it, I was just making an observation, I think it's exactly what they need." He turned to Goku,"I don't like it either, but I think we should go with Vegeta's plan this time. They need this training. If one of them flies off the handle or lets their emotions get in the way, it could cost everyone their lives. And you don't want that."

Goku bit his lip. "Do you really think I could do that to them? I mean, I'm not like the rest of you. I mean, I suppose I could try, just get into that battle mindset, but what if I give in?"

"Anyone who doesn't complete the training doesn't get to go to war," Vegeta answered simply. "This is just as much training for ourselves as it is them. I won't tolerate a weak link."

Goku's eyes went wide at the implication. "You mean you won't let me fight if I don't do this?" He breathed heavily through his nose, knowing Vegeta would do everything in his power to make that a reality if he didn't stick with the program. Goku chewed the inside corner of his mouth. Could he really do this? Make his son and daughter sleep outside in the cold? And Sabriena – she'd become such a good friend to him, too. He knew they were all skilled fighters. He sparred on an almost daily basis with all of them; weekends were spent at Gohan's house and every afternoon at Tien's. But this training Vegeta was talking about was something more. It was more structured, more disciplined. Something Goku himself was not educated in. If this was what they really needed to do to make sure they survived this battle, then he supposed he didn't have a choice.

Tien stared hard at his friend. Goku was right. It wasn't in him to be cruel, even if it was for the right reason. Vegeta, Piccolo, and Tien had all been like that before. He didn't want to accidentally slip back into that personality, but he thought he could control himself because this time, it wasn't out of anger or hatred. And he knew the same was true for Piccolo and Vegeta. It wouldn't be hard to pick that right back up - and without fear of staying that way because it was all a means to an end.

"Either you're in or you're out, Kakarot," Vegeta snapped. "Make up your mind now. I don't have time to waste."

"Now," Vegeta said, "there are ground rules. First and foremost, all of you follow my orders; you do not question me in front of them. And you do not question each other. You got a problem - we deal with it in private. You follow my orders. None of this soft-hearted shit. It'll only hurt them in the long run. Agreed?"

"And if one of them can't handle it?" Piccolo asked.

"Then they go home. And they don't get to go to war," Vegeta answered simply.

Tien ran through everyone in his head. No one would be going home. They were all far too stubborn for that. Trunks, Jenny, and Catie wouldn't dream of disappointing Vegeta. Neither would Lindsey or Gohan do that to Goku. He felt a mixed twinge of guilt and pride when he thought the same of Sabriena. The only variable was Leelee and Seventeen, but he couldn't see them giving up either.

"That works," Piccolo answered. As much as he hated to admit it, Vegeta's plan sounded solid. If they could get everyone to work together as a team, a real team, they had a much better chance of surviving and winning this war.

"So are you in or not?" Vegeta demanded.

"Yeah," Tien agreed. "I'm in."

Piccolo gave a nod.

"Kakarot?"

Goku closed his eyes, breathing deeply for a moment, praying his children wouldn't hate him for this. It would kill him. But deep down, he knew it had to be done. He opened his eyes. "I'm in."

"All right then," Vegeta smirked. "But so help me God, if one of you undermines me, I will make an example of you in front of EVERYONE."

Tien rolled his eyes, but crossed his arms over his chest as he nodded.

"Good," Vegeta said.

"We can't do this alone," Piccolo said.

"What are you talking about?" Vegeta growled.

"Just the four of us. We need a female on our end of this deal. That Fasha was vicious and we all know what Hybris did to Tien. They need to learn to expect that kind of behavior from a woman as well and learn not to show mercy just because they may be fighting a woman," Piccolo explained.

"Well, yeah, I see your point," Tien said, "But who are we going to get to do that? We can't have one of the girls act that part and expect her to become part of their team at the same time. And, no offense meant, but Chichi and Bulma can't handle something like this. It's too intense for them."

Piccolo looked around the edge of the cabin at everyone sitting at the table, their meal forgotten, talking about the vision they'd just seen. His eyes landed on the tiny blonde sitting next to Krillin. "We'll get Eighteen to do it. She's a strong fighter and she's got the demeanor to be hard on them, just like we can."

Vegeta debated for a minute before he gave a nod. He didn't like the android much, not since she had first beat him in a fight the day he met her, but Piccolo was right. "Call her over."

Eighteen looked up when she heard Goku call her voice and she walked over to them. "What?"

Tien explained the plan to her as she listened, her expression stoic. She was quiet for a minute after he finished. It was a good plan and she'd love to be in a position of authority over her brother if for no other reason than to irritate the shit out of him. "Yeah. Fine. I'll do it."

"It's settled then," Vegeta stated. "Now put your game faces on. Follow me." He led the way back to the part and stood a the head of the table, his arms crossed, staring intently at them all. "We're starting a new training regimen, first thing in the morning. Bulma, I need you to watch the children while we're away."

Bulma snapped to attention, she knew that tone of voice and he was not to be argued with. It worried her though. The vision they had all shared must have really got to him. She could see the twinge of fear his eyes, hidden beneath that unmoving stone mask he wore. She looked around the table, Goten, Phoenix, Paige, and Alice. The little ones. She nodded at him, "I will."

Jenny looked alarmed, the look on her husbands face, her dad's, on Goku's... It chilled her. She had learned to trust her dad, she swallowed and looked at the other girls, wondering what this training was going to be. "Why is Bulma watching all of the children?" she asked nervously.

"Because we're staying out here," Vegeta answered. "All of you. You're getting special training and if you don't complete it, you don't go to war."

There was a collective cry of outrage from the table, protests and curses thrown around until Piccolo barked, "QUIET!" and the table fell silent again.

Vegeta waited a moment before he spoke again. "We'll finish our party. There's no need to let good food go to waste. But pack your bags tonight and be here by seven tomorrow morning. You don't need much. Uniforms will be provided for you. We'll be out here for six weeks, so pack accordingly."

"Six weeks?!" Gohan protested. "But I'm still in school! Vegeta, I can't miss that much class!"

"Then withdraw and pick up next semester," Vegeta said. "Or stay home."

Gohan scowled and sat back in his chair. "Bullshit," he muttered under his breath, ignoring the look Piccolo shot at him. He knew the Namek had always valued training over education, but Gohan had worked hard towards his degree and he didn't much feel like starting a semester over.

"Bulma, come here," Vegeta barked walked away, wanting to speak to her in private.

Sabriena got to her feet and hurried over to Tien. "Tien, what's going on?" she asked.

He looked down at her, wanting to hold her, to tell her he was sorry for what they were all about to go through. "We've all been training hard. But it's not enough," he answered, speaking loud enough for everyone to hear. "Vegeta's taking over the training. You don't have to participate, but if you don't, you don't go to war. It's up to each of you to decide what you want to do."

Goku shook his head, going over to little Goten and picking him up, snuggling with him, speaking softly, "Hey kiddo, Daddy's gotta go away for a little bit, but you and me... we are going to hang out so much when I get back, that's a promise! Okay buddy?"

Goten frowned, but nodded and hugged his dad.

Jenny looked hard at Piccolo but his expression was harsh. They were serious. The vision had scared them all it seemed. She got to her feet and went to where the girls were beneath the tree. She hugged her baby Alice, rubbing her nose against her soft cheek before turning and gathering Paige into her arms... her resolve... She was not going to let that vision come true. Whatever they were planning, she would tough it out so her little girls wouldn't be butchered like the vision warned.

Bulma followed Vegeta. She wasn't worried; Vegeta knew what he was doing, she just didn't want to lose him before the war. "Come back to me, my Prince."

Vegeta gave a soft snicker and looked over his shoulder at her. "Oh, I will. Don't you worry about that." He turned and wrapped his arms around her, slightly tilting his head back to look down at her. "You know how much I admire you, woman?" He couldn't stop the smirk that pulled at the corner of his mouth and he leaned in to kiss her. "It's only for a few weeks. They need this, Bulma, or we're all going to die. Just watch the little ones. We'll all come back soon."

Bulma kissed him soundly, pulling back just enough to rest her forehead against his, "I know they need this. You don't do something unless it is necessary, but if you come back with this mindset of something that you aren't, I'm going to beat it out of you, you hear me mister?" She smirked at him, reaching down and catching his tail, winding it around her own waist, "I'll keep the bed warm and a hot meal on stand by." She reached up, sliding her hands into his hair, scratching lightly at the back of his scalp before she kissed him again.

A low rumbling purr issued from Vegeta's throat as his mate touched his tail, but it broke off a second later as a screeching sounded from across the yard.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN SIX WEEKS?! GOKU, NO!"

"Oh for the love of all that is holy in this world," Vegeta grumbled.

"I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE THINKING, GOKU!" Chichi screeched.

Bulma rolled her eyes and felt an anger working up in her at having been interrupted by that horrid screeching woman. She set her jaw and rolled up her sleeves and marched over to the cars where Goku and Chichi were standing. "CAN IT, CHICHI! I swear by all that is good and holy in the world, you are not going to harass him for this! Now shut your mouth and enjoy the rest of the day before they do this. Or if you don't agree with it all, maybe you should just march over to enemy lines and tell them why it's so inconvenient to stage a war at this time of the year! I am sure they will listen to you!" She was fuming by the time she finished her rant, her face red, hair sticking up. She looked at Goku, "Don't you listen to her. You come out here tomorrow ready to train them. And don't come back here until you all are ready to win this fucking war!"

Chichi and Goku both stared wide-eyed at Bulma and for once, Chichi found herself speechless. Bulma had never snapped at her before - not like that, at least. Her mouth was working like she wanted to shout back, but nothing came to her in that moment.

Vegeta beamed at his mate, listening to her defend his decision. Gods, she was a good woman.

Bulma stormed away before Chichi or Goku could say a word to her, pulling her smartphone out of her pocket and making a list of the things she would need to do before the night was over.

Tien frowned at the mood that had settled over the group, everyone looking worried and frightened. "Hey, Jenny," he said, his voice a little louder as he turned towards her. "What d'ya say we let those girls carve some pumpkins, huh?"

Jenny looked over at him, a small smile pulling at her lips. "Sounds good." If today was going to be the last day she got to spend with her girls for a while, then she was going to make damn sure that their time was spent having fun. Because, deep down, she knew that tomorrow was going to be hell.


	12. The Nightmares Begin

Goku sat on his son's bed, tucking the covers up around his chin. "I'm gonna miss you so much, kiddo," he said as he ruffled his hair, leaning over and kissing his soft cheek, "but I'll be back as soon as we are done, I promise." He managed a small smile, staring at his son, looking into those big black eyes, "you understand?"

Goten pouted, tears brimming in his eyes. He didn't want his daddy to go away for so long. He was safe when daddy was home. He shook his head, burying his face in his pillow. "Why can't I go with you?!" he cried, his little hands bunching in the sheets. "It's not fair! Gohan gets to go!"

His heart broke seeing his son like that and he gathered him up in his arms, holding him tightly. "He is going because he needs this training. You are too young for it. It's not going to be fun, it won't be pleasant, and I certainly don't want you to see what I will have to do. I don't think I could forgive myself if you see me like that. Being mean. Believe me, I would let you come if I could. I swear to you Goten, when this war is over, I'm going to be around a lot more. I want to spend time with you and your mother. I love you both so much, don't let any one tell you any different." He buried his face into his son's wild hair, "How about I talk to mommy and see if she won't take you and go stay at Capsule Corp while I'm away? I would feel better."

Goten nodded his head emphatically. "Yes! I want to go stay with Bulma." Bulma was fun; she let him and little Trunks run in the house and eat ice cream and stay up late watching movies. And Trunks had the best toys. "Please take me over there before you go," he whispered miserably, grabbing his dad's shirt, tears dripping down his nose. He didn't want to stay at the house without his daddy there. It didn't feel safe to him. He just knew something bad was going to happen if his daddy wasn't there to protect him. "I'll miss you, Daddy."

Goku felt his shirt getting damp and he leaned back, reaching down and wiping away Goten's tears. "Okay buddy, yeah, of course I'll take you there. I promise." He held a hand to his son's ear and whispered, "and it'll get you out of that table full of homework for a little while. Just be ready to go early, is that okay?" He rubbed his son's back over and over, trying to calm him.

Goten sniffled and hiccupped, rubbing at his bloodshot eyes. "Okay, Daddy," he answered and laid down in bed, reaching for his teddy bear and pulling it closer. He buried his face into the stuffed animal, trying to fight his tears again. "I love you," he said meekly to his father as he shuddered, fighting another sob. He curled up on his side, squeezing his eyes shut, swallowing over and over. He wanted to go with his daddy so bad.

Goku felt his own eyes starting to tear up, watching his son cry so hard, but he couldn't bring him. He wouldn't scar him like that. Goten hadn't closed his eyes during the vision and Goku was grateful for that. He didn't know exactly what Vegeta was planning, but he understood that he was going to have to play a role he wasn't used to and he was going to have to be harsh. He didn't want Goten to see him like that. "I love you Goten, I love you more than life itself. I will do anything I can to protect you, kiddo." He kissed his cheek again. "Everything will be alright." His heart tore at him, he missed his son terribly already, thinking over the past months, how much time he had missed with him and he had spent training. "Hey, when I get back, how about we all go some place warm for a few days?"

Goten nodded and pulled back from his teddy, looking up at Goku. "Promise?" he asked, his voice sounding more like a whimper. "Just you and me?" 'Please say yes,' he thought to himself. Somewhere warm, just him and his daddy, having fun together. It sounded like heaven to him. He didn't like the cold any more than his dad did. "I promise I'll be good," he said. "I won't get into any trouble if we go somewhere!"

Goku chuckled and threaded his fingers through Goten's hair, rubbing at his scalp. "Are you kidding? You are like, the most well behaved kid I know, it's me you are going to have to keep out of trouble. And yeah, it can be just you and me. Mommy never likes where I pick to go any way. Oh! How about you pick where we will go? Maybe some place that has hot springs," he suggested, smiling at the thought.

Goten finally smiled and sat up suddenly, wrapping his arms around his dad's neck. "Okay, Daddy! I'll pick a really good spot! I'll look on Trunks' computer when I go stay with him and Bulma!" He squeezed Goku's neck for all he was worth and planted a big kiss on his cheek. "I love you, Daddy. Goodnight!" he said and laid back down, feeling a million times better already.

Goku chuckled, hugging his son back tightly and moved off the bed, tucking the little one back into bed. "Alright then, sounds like a plan! You surprise me with the destination when I get back and we can leave that day!" He kissed his son goodnight and stood up, turning off the light, "sleep well son." He pulled the door to a crack before his ran a hand over his face hand headed to the master bedroom, giving Chichi a smile as he came in and started stripping his clothes off, tossing them toward the laundry hamper. "So, I think it would be good to take Goten and you to stay with Bulma while I'm gone."

Chichi turned from the vanity where she was brushing her hair. "Why on earth do I need to go stay with Bulma?" she asked. "There's nothing wrong with our house. We'll be perfectly fine staying here." She turned back to the mirror, running the brush through her long raven hair. "Not like you care how we are, seeing as you're getting ready to run off and spend _weeks_ out there at Tien's house. This is quite possibly the dumbest thing yet."

Goku nodded, thinking how horrified the others were going to be when they saw him acting cold. "It needs to be done. You saw the vision. Those people were vicious and they use torture to get information. Our kids aren't ready for that." He paused and turned to her, "and I know this house is safe, but I'd feel better knowing you were in town with Bulma. Just in case. I'm taking Goten there in the morning I think he's pretty scared about the war." He walked over to Chichi, giving her a sad look in the mirror. "You should let your hair down more often. You look so pretty with it down," he said, watching the shiny locks as they fell down her back. He reached out, running his fingers through her soft hair as gently as possible. "Please be safe, Chichi. I don't know what I would do without you and Goten"

"Oh, honestly, Goku, you worry too much," she scolded. "I don't see why you have to go at all. It sounded to me like Vegeta's got this whole thing under control. Why on earth does he need you out there? He's got everyone else with him. You know, you could be using this time to spend it with your family instead of going out to play army for however long he decides to keep you out there." She put her brush away and slammed the drawer shut. She got up without looking at him and marched across the room into the bathroom, leaving the door open as she washed her face. "It's just plain silly. What a waste of time."

Goku shook his head, moving over to the bed and pulling the covers down. "No, it may be different from what we're used to, but it's not silly and it's not a waste of time. Vegeta's right! I'm too soft when it comes to that stuff. I could put someone in danger if I drop everything I am doing in a moment to go help someone else in trouble. I have to learn to let it go, to trust in the others as well as myself to do the right thing. You and Goten are my whole world, Chichi, and everything I do it to protect you all." He sighed and shook his head, sliding under the covers but didn't lay down yet. "I know it's not fair to you and Goten, just when I was trying harder to make things up to you. I'll plan another romantic night for us, a couple of days after I get back. Well, after I take Goten camping for a little bit. But I will make it up to you, Chichi, I swear it."

She dried her face and returned to the bedroom, frowning at him. "Oh no, mister! You're not sleeping in here tonight! You wanna go out and rough it with those idiots, then you might as well get in the practice now. You can sleep somewhere else tonight!" She crossed her arms over her chest, glaring at him. "Take Goten camping? You can't do that! He has homework to do! I swear, Goku, I am SICK of you undermining me at every turn. You didn't listen when I said I didn't want you to do this, now you're planning camping trips and romantic nights? Well you can just forget your plans. Besides, spending time with us will just get in the way of your precious training anyway, right?"

Goku frowned but didn't move to get up; he firmly laid down on the bed and pulled the covers up. "Chichi, you want me to spend time with the family? This is me spending time with you before I go on this training session that is going to test me in the worst possible way. I am sleeping here tonight. With you. I am going to be spending time with Goten, camping. Romantic nights with you, it's what you wanted, Chichi! Isn't it?" He asked, rolling over and looking at her.

Chichi scowled at him as she shrugged off her robe and climbed into bed. "Oh yeah, it's exactly what I wanted," she replied, her voice dripping with sarcasm. She threw herself down on her pillow, huffing as she pulled the covers up to her chin. "Quit lying to me, Goku. You act like this is some big burden to you, when you know deep down you're loving this. You love every minute of your training. Don't feed me a bunch of crap about how it's for me and Goten. It's for you, you selfish jerk." She crossed her arms and rolled to her side, turning her back to him, her lips pressed so hard together in frustration that they trembled.

He was hurt, really hurt. "How can you say that? Every time I go out to train, it's for you. It's so I can make money to help you, it's so I can protect the world you and our children live in. How can you say that it's selfish? I've died! Died, protecting our son, this planet, you."

She turned over harshly to face him again. "Yeah, and what did you do in otherworld? Oh, that's right. Train. You were gone for a YEAR. And then you got back, got beat up, spent a couple weeks in the hospital and then took off for Namek and didn't come back for another YEAR. And what did you do as soon as you got back after that? TRAIN FOR THREE YEARS STRAIGHT. And every time you take care of some threat, there's always a new one that pops up that you have to prepare for. It's never going to end with you, is it? Is it?! Tell me the truth!" she demanded, her eyes fierce, her shoulders shaking under the covers.

Goku shook his head. "Chichi, I don't know, I honestly don't know! You want to know why I was training?! I just had my son KIDNAPPED. I was afraid. I am afraid. If I'm not strong enough, that if I slack for even a moment, that it's going to happen again, but then they will go for you, and Goten, Gohan, Lindsey, our grandson. And I will never be able to forgive myself if it's because of me. If it's my fault. I train because I'm scared of losing you, Chichi. Of losing everything."

Chichi pressed her lips thin, fixing him with a cold stare. "Oh, is that so? And what happens if you lose it anyway?" she asked, her voice cold and flat. "Keep this up, Goku. See what happens." She was sick of this. Sick of it all. Of him and everything he did. It didn't matter what he did now, it grated on her nerves. And she couldn't help it. She'd tried, oh how she'd tried to ignore the way she felt, but she just couldn't. She'd denied her feelings about him and their situation for too long and now she was at a breaking point. "You're going to lose everything anyway."

Goku felt tears in his eyes, her words haunting. "Please don't say that Chichi, it breaks my heart. You can't say that I haven't been trying. Ever since you told me you wanted me around more, I've been trying." He said, "I'll show you, when I get back I will." He wanted to hold her close, like he used to, smell her hair and go to sleep, just like it used to be. "We can talk about this when I get back. I think that vision has us both on edge. I love you, Chichi. Goodnight. Sleep well, dear."

Chichi rolled over without another word, scowling at the wall. If he thought he was going to get away with another night of 'romance', like that was going to make it all better, he was sadly mistaken. She didn't want to talk about it. She didn't want to deal with it. In that moment, she wanted nothing more than to just run away.

* * *

Chichi had a horrible time falling asleep that night, her frustration with her husband and her life so strong that she couldn't seem to shut her mind off. She had only fallen asleep for a short time when she heard Goku scream out in his sleep and she sat bolt upright in bed, staring at him in the darkness. "Goku!" she shouted, angry with him for waking her. "What is the matter with you?" She clicked on the bedside lamp, staring at him as he thrashed in bed, fighting off some invisible force, screaming in his sleep. "Even in your sleep, you're still thinking about fighting," she growled. "Wake up!" But Goku didn't wake; he kept crying out over and over, tossing and turning. "GOKU, WAKE UP!" Chichi shouted and slapped him across the face.

Goku woke from the nightmare; he had been trying to fight off one of the Saiyans, a large grotesque beast with red eyes, trying to hurt his wife and his youngest son with those awful hammers. It felt so real, he thought, that maybe they had come into his home and snatched them while he was sleeping. He had been punching the monster who was choking the life out of Chichi but before he could do anything he felt a swift blow to his face and then stars flashed before his eyes as he suddenly woke up, silence all around him.

He sat up straight, his cheek stinging, looking around and seeing Chichi. She looked furious, but he didn't care. She was alive. Oh thank the gods, she was alive. "Chichi! You're alright!" He grabbed her up into a crushing hug, wrapping his arms around her, burying his face into her hair, listening to his heart race. "I thought... I dreamed the worst... it was so realistic..."

"Get off me!" she shrieked, pushing him away. She was breathing hard, wanting to slap him again. Of all the stupid, irritating things he could do, now he was envisioning this stupid war in his dreams? He truly had a one-track mind.

Goku was heartbroken as she pulled from him, shrieking in his ear so shrilly that it made his head hurt. But still, he was relieved she was breathing and here with him. "Thank goodness you're alive... I… I thought..."

"Goku, this is ridiculous," she interrupted. "I can't sleep with you in here! Not if you're going to be acting like that! I couldn't even wake you up, you just kept screaming and screaming." She ran a hand through her hair, smoothing it back into place. "Go. Get out of here. I have important things to do tomorrow and I need my sleep."

He shook his head and stood up, grabbing his pillow and he headed out of the room and to the living room without another word. He'd scared himself, not only because of the dream, but if she hadn't been able to wake him, what might he have done in his sleep? Would he have attacked her by accident? He shivered as he paused at the linen closet to pull out a spare blanket. He grabbed two. One wasn't warm enough for him and Chichi said it was wasteful to have more than one comforter for the master bedroom as it was too expensive. He paused outside of Goten's room, breathing a sigh of relief when he saw him still in his bed.

He moved on to the lumpy couch, tears still in his eyes at the dream. He had to make sure that didn't come to pass, no matter what. He had to protect his mate and sons, to protect his entire family. He quickly made up a little bed on the couch, crawling under the covers, shifting around a moment to try and find a comfortable position where there wasn't a lump in the middle of his back. It was a hopeless task. He finally laid still and looked up at the ceiling. Chichi may have been mad at him for it, but this training Vegeta was planning was going to be good for all of them. Not a one of them could afford to make a single mistake in this battle. Not this time. The enemy was even more dangerous than they had been before and the stakes were too high. This was war and Goku made up his mind right then and there that he would do _anything _to win.


	13. Amazed

Sabriena slipped on Tien's big white T-shirt, inhaling his scent, taking comfort in the soft feel of it against her bare skin. She sighed and crossed the cabin to the bed where Tien was already lying down, his arms behind his head as he stared up at the rafters. She smiled softly at him and leaned over to kiss his lips. She didn't know what to expect tomorrow. To tell the truth, she was a bit nervous about it. Not just about the training, but about having so many people at their cabin. She'd gotten used to the quiet and she knew Tien valued his privacy. She pulled back and looked into his warm, dark eyes. "What's on your mind, handsome?" she asked as she sat on the edge of the bed.

Tien looked over at her, staring at her for a moment; gods, he loved the way she looked in his shirt. "This training we have to do... I'm not looking forward to it, Sabriena. I'm really not," he admitted. He placed his hand on her thigh, rubbing her smooth, warm skin with his thumb.

"Me either," she agreed, a small frown pulling at her lips. She'd gotten so used to the quiet at the cabin, the privacy of living out there. She couldn't fathom having that many people there at once. She had no idea what to expect, except that she knew with Vegeta taking over, it wasn't going to be pleasant.

Tien licked his lips nervously as he stared up at the ceiling, giving her leg a squeeze. "Promise me," he said in a soft voice, "promise me that no matter what happens, you won't hate me when it's over." He didn't think he'd be able to live with himself if this training somehow caused Sabriena to leave him.

"I could never hate you," she whispered, leaning over and pressing her lips to his. She could almost feel the stress radiating from him. She broke the kiss, letting her nose rest against his as she spoke softly to him, "Tien, it's going to be okay. I promise."

He sighed softly and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her to lay over his body. "Tonight may be the last night we have to ourselves for a while," he rumbled, kissing her again. "I want to make it count."

Sabriena smiled and sat up, straddling his already bare hips, and grabbed the hem of the shirt to pull it over her head, but paused when Tien grabbed her wrist.

"Leave it on," he said in a husky voice, running his hands over her chest and down her sides, the impossibly soft material of the well-worn shirt rubbing at her skin. He pulled her to lean over him and he ever so lightly bit at her chest, breathing hotly through the shirt.

Sabriena hissed in pleasure and grabbed the shirt in her hand, covering Tien's hard member with it as she began to stroke him, the soft material gliding easily over his fevered flesh. If this was the last night they were going to have for themselves, then she was definitely going to make it count and take her time pleasuring him. Although Jenny and Goku had figured out that she and Tien were together, the rest of their friends were clueless and she doubted that even during downtimes during this training that Tien would be willing to be very affectionate towards her.

Tien's back arched, feeling his own shirt wrapped around is throbbing shaft, her warm hand sliding over him. He lifted his hips slightly, thrusting up into her grasp, his hands roaming over her body. "Nnnngh… Sabriena…" he moaned, his face screwing up, his lips slightly parted as he panted her name.

Sabriena smirked as she gripped his length with both hands, squeezing and stroking him slowly, twisting her hands as she pulled at him, listening to the sounds issuing from his throat. He pressed the heels of his hands into his eyes, his hips jerking up to meet her pace, silently asking for more. More friction, a faster pace… He was going insane with the way she was teasing him.

"Please," he groaned, grabbing the pillow behind his head, looking down his body at her hands and the shirt around him, his breathing becoming heavier.

"Shhhhh," she soothed, slowing her pace even more. "Just relax and enjoy it." She loved watching him writhe in ecstasy, the way his lips parted as he moaned her name again. She sealed her lips around his nipple, holding it lightly between her teeth as she rapidly flicked her tongue over it. "I want you, baby," she whispered against his chest.

Tien moaned, throwing his head back as she sealed that hot mouth around his nipple, adding to the pleasure that was already driving him insane. He let his hand slip down between her legs, his fingers expertly working her clit until he could feel her growing slick in his touch. He grabbed the hair at the base of her skull in his free hand and pulled her face up to meet his, kissing her deeply, moaning against her as he plunged two fingers into her fiery wet heat.

Sabriena whined as he rubbed at her, rocking her hips into his touch. She nipped at his ear, breathing heavily into it as he slid his fingers into her. Gods, that felt amazing, his strong fingers rubbing at her exactly the way she liked it. "Tien," she moaned, gasping as little stars appeared in her vision. "Oh gods... you know how to touch me..."

He drove his fingers in deeper, stretching her, still amazed at how tight she was. He wondered, briefly, if he could fit another finger inside of her, but the thought passed as he felt her fingers around his cock, teasing his slit, working her pinky around the opening. "Gods Sabriena..." He breathed, his hand brushed his shirt and he moaned at the softness contrasting with the heat, the slickness. "Gods I want you, baby," he purred.

Sabriena could already feel her orgasm starting to build and she pulled away from him, wanting to make the moment last. She slid down the bed a bit, lowering her face to breathe hotly over him as she continued to stroke, sliding that shirt over his cock, absolutely tormenting him.

Tien groaned loudly and reached down to grasp her shoulders as her hot breath seeped through the shirt and curled around his aching member. "God, Sabriena," he whined, his voice strained. He couldn't stop the strangled sound that escaped his lips as she forced him to slow his pace. "What are you doin' to me, girl?"

"Making it count," she purred, nibbling at the head of his cock.

"I can't take it," he said suddenly, deciding he just couldn't handle her tormenting anymore. He sat up and hauled her into his lap as he laid back again, grabbing the backs of her thighs over his hips. His eyes fell closed and he groaned again as he felt the wet warmth of her body against his shaft. He looked up at her, his eyes pleading for her to take him, his hands gently pulling on her to lower herself completely onto him. "I want you, I want you sliding over my cock, I want to feel you right here," he begged quietly as he placed a hand over her flat stomach.

Sabriena shivered at his words. She leaned over and kissed him softly as she slid down onto his thick length. A high-pitched gasp escaped her lips, her eyes going wide for just a second. She would never, ever get over how big he was, how he filled her completely. She let herself sink down onto him, her legs shaking at the pleasure that radiated through her system. She grabbed onto his shoulders, breathing for just a second before she began to move over him, moaning at the sensation of being stretched over him.

Tien keened, his toes curling as his cock was enveloped by her velvety soft heat. "Yesss," he hissed, placing his hands on her hips, pulling her down as hard as he could and rocking her over his length. "So good," he gasped as he started to buck up into her.

"Gods, you're so big," she whispered, licking and biting lightly at his chest. "I can't get enough of you." She gave him a sultry look before she leaned back, making the protrusion of her lower stomach even more evident to him. She rubbed at it for a second, feeling his hardness there before she grabbed his wrist and placed his hand over her belly. "See what you do to me?"

Tien moaned, so hard from her words, her actions. He pushed her back, so the protrusion from her stomach was more pronounced he stared in awe at her. It was a wonder that her body could accommodate his size and it turned him on so much that she could handle him like that.

She grabbed the back of the shirt and pulled it down, down between his legs to cup the tender flesh there, rolling his heavy balls in her fingers, making him hiss in pleasure.

"Damn, girl. What are you doing to me?" Tien demanded, his hips snapping up sharply.

Sabriena froze, stopping his movements. "Ah, ah, ah! Language!" she scolded. "We mustn't have any of that." She raised herself until only the tip of his head was still inside her before she dropped her weight back down on him with crushing force, making him cry out in sheer bliss. "Now watch your mouth."

Tien growled, running his hands all over her, pinching at her nipples through the shirt, cupping the warm curves in his hands and massaging them. Oh, she was naughty. But two could play at that game. He slid his hands slowly down the shirt, keeping it between his fingers and her body as he rubbed at the swollen nub at the head of her folds, making her moan and grind harder against him. He could feel the hem of the shirt growing wet against his fingers and he rubbed harder, determined to pleasure her as much as she did him.

She reached back, her hands on his shins, arching her back as she bounced on his cock, his hand resting on the lower part of her stomach as he drove himself deeply into her. She loved the sounds from his throat, the deep, passionate moans, the gasps for air. "Harder, baby," she begged. She clenched down on him, crying out her pleasure, determined to take both of them over that edge at the same time. It turned her on so much to think that they could bring each other this kind of pleasure. "I wanna make you come, baby."

Tien couldn't stop himself and he rolled her over, pressing her hard into the mattress, his hips thrusting his cock deeper and harder into her. "I want to make you come first," he insisted, reaching down and pressing on her clit, rolling it between his fingers.

Sabriena shrieked in delight and wrapped her arms around him, digging her nails into the hard muscles of his back as he filled her aching core over and over again. She could feel him hitting that sensitive spot deep within her, slamming the head of his cock against it, making little stars pop in her vision. She could hear the slick sounds of her own body as he thrust into her, the sound mixing with her moans and his grunts of pleasure, their skin slapping together as they neared their climax.

"Come with me," he demanded, feeling his cock tighten and swell as her muscles clamped down on him. His vision went dark as he came, his body stilled as his cock pumped and spilled thick white ropes of cum deeply into her.

Sabriena screamed out at the same time, her body locking around his, wave after wave of orgasm slamming into her senses as they held each other tightly. They finally relaxed against each other, panting and sweating even in the cool air of the cabin, both of them trembling from the last little tremors of pleasure that coursed through them.

"Gods, you're amazing," she whispered, cupping his cheek in her hand, smiling warmly at him.

"Oh, I'm not done with you yet," he rumbled, his cock already hardening within her again. He pulled out of her and rolled her over, smirking as she gave a laughing shriek and stuck her hips up in the air, both of them crying out in pleasure as he forcefully drove himself into her once more.


	14. Training or Torture?

Vegeta landed in the yard of Tien's cabin, slinging the heavy bags from his shoulders as he looked around. The sun hadn't quite broken over the horizon yet and the grass crunched beneath his feet as the first frost had settled in overnight. He was the first to arrive that morning; Goku, Eighteen, and Piccolo should be along shortly, followed by their new students. He was going over the plan in his head as he looked at the surroundings. The mountain ridge, the forest, the river. All of it could be used to their advantage in one way or another. He didn't know what the others were expecting, but this was going to be different than any other type of training they had ever done before. This was more than strengthening them physically; this was about strengthening them mentally, emotionally, and making them work together instead of the every-man-for-himself mentality that they had always gone into battle with before. He turned as the cabin door creaked open. "Morning, sleeping beauty," he mocked as Tien stepped outside, rubbing his eyes.

"Mornin'," Tien answered roughly, pulling his heavy bearskin cloak around his shoulders as he started a fire in the fire pit. "Coffee?" He didn't much care for Vegeta being at his house, but he knew that this was important. After seeing that vision, he would do anything to keep his friends, and more importantly Sabriena, safe.

Vegeta gave a rough nod, looking to the sky as he felt Piccolo's energy approaching. He gave a soft snort and a smirk as he walked over to the fire pit, watching at Tien brewed a fresh pot of coffee and poured a cup for each of them.

Eighteen landed in the yard next, making Tien jump. He'd forgotten that she and Seventeen didn't have energy signals. He briefly wondered if that could be used to their advantage somehow, but then he realized he wasn't even sure if the other side could sense power levels. "Coffee?" he offered, but she shook her head.

"About time you two showed up," Vegeta muttered as Piccolo landed in the yard and Goku appeared there a second later.

Goku rubbed the back of his neck looking a little worse for wear, yawning loudly. "Morning... Hey, is that coffee?" he asked sheepishly. He had nearly overslept, after struggling with the nightmares that kept waking him all night and then trying to sleep on that lumpy couch, he felt as if he had barely had any sleep at all. He'd managed to grab a some bread and a bowl of cereal at home for his breakfast, but hadn't had time to make any coffee. He made Chichi promise to take Goten and go to Capsule Corp and he hoped she kept her promise. He looked longingly at the cup in Tien's hands; darned if that coffee didn't smell amazing.

Piccolo crossed his arms looking around the group he was to be a part of. 'So it begins,' he thought to himself. "Jenny's dropping the girls off with Bulma, then she'll be along with the others."

Tien poured a cup and offered it to Goku before he drank deeply from his own, finishing it off and pouring himself a second cup. He felt like he was going to need it.

"Coffeeeeeee," Sabriena groaned, stepping out of the cabin, her eyes half-open, shivering in the cold air. She grabbed Tien's cup from him and drank it down, giving a shudder, "Ah."

Tien scowled at her and took the cup back, filling it once more. He sighed through his nose, wishing he could kiss her good morning, but he didn't dare. Not with everyone around. He was suddenly regretting agreeing to this.

Vegeta shook his head at Sabriena. She had no respect for her teacher whatsoever. He was glad he hadn't taken her on as one of his students. "The others better hurry up," he growled, "they're nearly late."

Sabriena sighed through her nose at Vegeta and Piccolo's presence, but managed a tired smile for Goku. "You look as tired as I feel," she mumbled, thinking that perhaps she and Tien should've spent a little more time sleeping last night instead of going at it until the wee hours of the morning.

Goku smiled at her. "Nightmares... and most of it was my own fault, I couldn't find a good position to sleep in on the couch," he said, sipping at the hot bitter liquid, sighing at it as it warmed him. He was nervous, he wasn't sure exactly what Vegeta had planned and he was damn sure that no one was going to like it. He looked to the large bag that Vegeta had brought. Surely it wasn't six weeks' worth of clothes for him. He kept silent as the others started arrive.

Jenny touched down next to Piccolo, looking sad. She was sad, having to say goodbye to her babies like that, but they seemed to understand.

The others followed soon after, some of them looking only slightly more awake than others, each of them with bags of their necessities, just as Vegeta had instructed.

Vegeta looked around, making sure that everyone was there before he spoke. He stared at each of them in turn, the silence building. "The outside world no longer exists to you. There is only your teammates and your leaders. Any form of communications is to be surrendered now," he said in an authoritative voice.

Reluctantly, they pulled their cell phones out and handed them over to the men who were going to train them. Lindsey cast a nervous glance at Jenny and shivered, stepping a little closer to Gohan.

Vegeta tossed the larger of the two bags at them and Trunks caught it, looking curiously at his father. "Your uniforms. Put them on. There should be two for each of you." Bulma knew everyone's sizes and had pulled the uniforms from the supply closet for the security guards at Capsule Corp.

Trunks opened the bag, revealing the black fatigues and boots there. He wondered if his father was taking this to an extreme, making them wear matching uniforms.

Sabriena wrinkled her nose at the stiff material, but found her size and led the girls into the cabin to change. "Good lord, he's serious, huh?" she asked as Leelee shut the door behind them.

Jenny started stripping, but then stopped, thinking better of it, leaving on a few extra clothes to keep warm, pulling the uniform on over her. She sighed at the tight fit and stripped again to do it right. "Well, the way I figured it, Vegeta is going to keep pushing us until we break and build us back up the way he wants us to be. That's how he did it when I started training with him and I am assuming that's what he did with Catie and Trunks." She scrubbed at her face with her hands, "This isn't going to be fun."

"Break us?" Leelee asked, pulling on the black T-shirt and then the jacket over it. "I don't like the sound of that."

"Ah, Vegeta ain't as scary as he seems," Catie shrugged, lacing up the boots.

"Oh bullshit!" Leelee argued. She paused and looked at Lindsey, who was hopping up and down, trying to pull the pants over her hips. "What are you doing?"

"These... don't... fit!" she gasped, pausing and leaning over.

"They should," Catie said. "Bulma based them off the size she used when she altered Goku's gi for you before that last battle."

Lindsey scowled. "I've had a baby since then!" She pulled harder, wiggling her hips, the fabric slowly working its way up.

"Suck in your butt!" Catie teased, making the redhead double over with laughter as Sabriena snorted and fell to giggles, too.

"Hnnnn!" Lindsey growled, finally getting the pants pulled up and buttoned.

"Did you grow that baby in your ass? Jesus, Lins," Sabriena snickered.

"Shut the fuck up, Subbie."

Jenny chuckled. "Just how are you going to fight and train in that? Can you even move?" she asked as she finished pulling on the last of her clothes, her boots laced up.

"I'm gonna have to move," Lindsey muttered. "It's that or train naked."

Jenny looked outside, feeling the anticipation mounting. She didn't know what it was that was going to happen, but it was going to test all of them. Whatever Vegeta was trying to do, he would accomplish and if she knew her dad, there would be no mercy. "Let's get this started, the sooner we do, the sooner it will be over."

Lindsey sighed and followed the other girls out into the yard where the men were waiting.

"It's about time," Vegeta growled in irritation. "Line up, all of you." He nearly snickered to himself as they moved to stand shoulder-to-shoulder, all of them looking grumpy and tired. He was going to enjoy this far more than he should have. "From this moment forward, you have officially entered Saiyan Elite training. You will learn to work together and your actions reflect upon your whole team. This is the only way you will survive this coming war. You are all well-trained fighters," Vegeta stated. "But now we're going to make you soldiers." He gestured to himself, Piccolo, Goku, Tien, and Eighteen. "We're not your friends anymore. We're not your fathers or husbands or whatever else you may think of us as. We're your teachers and commanding officers now. You will refer to us as Sir or Ma'am. You do as we say without question. And if you don't like it, too bad. Any question?"

Jenny swallowed hard, the harsh tone in Vegetas voice telling her he was serious. "No sir," she answered, not wanting to test his resolve. _Boot camp _resounded in her mind. But this was different than any training Vegeta had put her and her siblings through before. This was something new.

Goku pressed his lips thin. The guard captain uniform on him was stifling and he didn't like it. But it was warmer than his normal gi. He didn't know if he could do this, if he could be mean to them, he was their father, their friend. He wondered if he was going to have a harder time dealing with this than they were. He didn't know if he could do it. But then the things he'd seen in Leelee's vision swam before his eyes again and he felt his resolve strengthening. He had to do this because it was either him and his friends that would teach them this lesson or the enemy would do it. And he knew he would never let the brutality of the enemy touch them.

"No Sir," the others chimed in after Jenny.

Vegeta nearly rolled his eyes at their sleepy response. A smirk split his face as he walked in front of them, "Since you're all still half-awake this morning, I think a nice long run would be a good way to warm up and wake you up properly. All the way to the mountain's peak. And lower your power levels. This is about training your body, not using your energy."

Lindsey clenched her jaw, her eyes falling shut for a moment. She hated running, but she wasn't going to dare to bitch about it now. Truth be told, Vegeta scared her. She was used to training with Goku.

Vegeta nodded, "Tien."

Tien took that as his cue to lead the way up the mountain. "Come on," he barked and turned on his heel as their students took off running behind him. "Keep up!"

Jenny felt her stomach drop. Yeah, this was going to be another kind of hell, but he said it was Saiyan Elite training. Only the best were allowed to take part, right? She was cold and tired, but it was to prevent that vision of Leelee's from happening. A little pain now would save them a lot in the end.

Lindsey wanted to cry already. Vegeta barking orders at them wasn't the way she wanted to spend her morning, but she narrowed her eyes and forced her legs to move. Goddamn those pants.

Catie stumbled, her mind still foggy with sleep, but managed to recover and kept going. "Watch your step, Pariani!" Vegeta shouted as he watched them run for the treeline. "You fall and you're going to have the humiliation of one of your teammates carrying you up the mountain!"

Catie groaned and tried not to roll her eyes, keeping pace with Tien. Pariani? Vegeta had never called her by her last name before.

Goku winced at the unfamiliar name, watching as the last of their new students disappeared into the trees, some immediately taking the lead, some falling behind. He knew what the other Saiyan was doing; he had explained it to them that distancing themselves from their loved ones made it easier to train them. They were nothing but their students, their charges, their grunts or whatever the military word for it was. It made it impersonal. He heard Tien yelling at Trunks to step it up. Tien knew these woods and the mountain like the back of his hand; Goku knew they were safe with him. He looked to Vegeta, "What's this going to train them in? Some of them, like Seventeen, can probably run miles all day long and not feel tired. How is this equal?"

"Who said anything about equal?" Vegeta countered. "It's about them learning not to leave a teammate behind. And they'll run until they figure it out or one of them collapses." He paused and gave a mirthless chuckle. "And I think it's going to be the latter."

* * *

Jenny felt like her lungs were going to pop out of her chest by the time they got back down the mountain again, panting next to Tien's cabin. How many times was that now? Over and over, they'd run up and down that blasted mountain. She could fight Vegeta all day long in the gravity room. But out here, lowering their power levels, in the cold, windy, brutal terrain... it was sapping her strength faster than she could have ever imagined.

Lindsey was quickly realizing how out of shape she'd let herself become. She'd barely trained since she first found out she was pregnant and even after she had the baby, she'd been giving Goku excuses about being too tired or busy to train. She was paying for it now. Even Sabriena was ahead of her. She forced herself to keep going, her legs and lungs screaming in protest. Deep down she knew she needed this, but damn if she didn't hate Vegeta in that moment.

"This is horseshit," Gohan growled as they came into the yard of the cabin again. He'd lost count of how many times they'd run up and down the mountain. Eighteen had taken over for Tien after awhile and Gohan couldn't help but think she was going to be nearly as harsh as Vegeta. She kept making little snide comments when one of them would trip or stumble, egging them on.

"I'm starving," Trunks muttered to his friend, trying to catch his breath. They'd only been allowed to stop and grab a drink of water a couple times that day, nothing more. None of them had eaten anything and Trunks soon figured out that running up and down the mountain was harder without food to fuel his crazy metabolism.

"Do it again," Vegeta snapped as the last of them made it into the yard.

"It's nearly dark!" Trunks protested, then cringed. Oh, he was going to get his ass handed to him by his father in front of everyone, he just knew it.

Vegeta narrowed his eyes, "Argue with me again, Briefs, and you'll do it all night long."

"Yes, Sir," Trunks mumbled.

Lindsey was the last to stumble into the yard, her face nearly as red as her hair, clutching a stitch in her side.

"And what's taking you so long, princess?" Vegeta spat, the sarcasm dripping from his voice.

Lindsey shook her head, gasping for air. "I can't move... in these... pants," she whined. "They don't fit!"

"Then you're going to run until they do fit," he answered. Vegeta shook his head at them all as they panted and grabbed drinks of water, all of them sweating despite the cold air and looking exhausted. "You failed today," Vegeta announced. "You can try again tomorrow."

Catie's head snapped up, a vicious look in her eyes. She hated being told that what she had done wasn't good enough. "What?! How? How do you fail at running?!"

Vegeta simply smirked. "Get some rest." He turned away from them, walking into the cabin like he owned it.

Tien frowned, but turned to follow him, pausing when they tried to follow. "No," he said firmly. Damn Vegeta for making him enforce this.

Sabriena blinked up at him. "What?"

"There's not enough room in the cabin," he stated.

"We'll freeze out here!" she protested. "Where are we supposed to sleep?!"

Tien waved Goku, Eighteen, and Piccolo into the cabin, turning and crossing his arms. "Use your brains. You'll live." And with that, he went into the cabin, shutting the door solidly behind him.

Lindsey's mouth dropped open. "Those assholes!"

"The hell?!" Trunks snapped angrily once the door was closed. "What are we supposed to eat? They aren't feeding us anything?!"

Jenny snorted. "Figures." She looked back towards the root cellar and headed over that way. It was shelter and there was probably food in there. She spotted the chicken coop and went to it, lifting up the lid on the side over the nesting boxes, going for a few eggs. "Thank you ladies."

Trunks frowned at the eggs in Jenny's hands. "That's not going to feed us all," he grumbled.

"It's better than nothing," Catie stated, giving her sister an approving nod.

Sabriena crept around to the front of the cabin and grabbed one of the skillets that had been left beside the firepit. "Here, we can cook them in this," she said, holding it out for Jenny to crack the eggs into the pan.

Lindsey held her hand out under it, creating a flame. "I can't believe they left us out in the cold with no food," she complained, thinking of how hungry her husband had to be.

"It's not much, I know," Sabriena said, "but it's something." She held out the pan full of scrambled eggs, no salt, nothing on them to make them taste very good and she was ashamed to feed her friends something like that. But they didn't seem to care as they reached into the pan with freezing fingers, grabbing up bites of the hot eggs.

"Thank god for your chickens," Gohan muttered, feeling the eggs searing his insides. But eating such a small amount only seemed to make him hungrier.

Jenny's stomach growled as she ate her bite of eggs. "Damn, still hungry. Sabriena, don't you have any more food around here? What about the food from the garden this summer. There was tons of that stuff wasn't there? You couldn't have gotten rid of that overnight."

Trunks perked up at that. "Yeah! Wasn't that why you guys had us over yesterday? You said you had more than enough to go around!"

Sabriena cringed. "We can't get into that food, guys. What we served yesterday was all we had to spare. The rest is rationed out for the whole winter," she answered.

"So just go buy more!" Trunks snapped. "We can't train this hard on empty stomachs!"

"I can't do that!" Sabriena shot back. "Tien will kill us if we get into that food!"

Jenny frowned, "I understand you need to make it through the winter, but we need to make it through this! None of us are going to survive if we can't eat, especially Trunks and Gohan!"

Lindsey nodded, staring harshly at Sabriena. "Tien's part of this, he agreed to let us come out here. The least he could do is feed us. The VERY least."

"Come on," Trunks said, tugging at Gohan's wrist. "Let's see what's in the cellar."

"NO!" Sabriena said, running to stand in front of them, dropping into a fighting stance, ready to attack if they didn't agree to keep their hands to themselves. "No one's going in there unless you promise to stay out of the food!" 'Goddammit, Tien,' Sabriena thought to herself. If he'd let her build a barn and keep livestock like she wanted, that would be an obvious choice of a place for them to sleep. The chicken coop wasn't nearly big enough for them. Their only option was the root cellar and now she was going to have to guard the food in there from her friends.

Leelee groaned, dropping her head. "Come on you guys, let's just go to sleep. We had something to eat. Just listen to her and let's go inside. It's getting really cold out here."

Trunks frowned, "We are all hungry. And whatever we eat now, we can replace later."

"Replace it with what?" Sabriena demanded.

Gohan rubbed the back of his neck, he was hungry, but it wasn't right eating into the special stores of food that Sabriena and Tien had set aside for themselves. "It's fine... it is... The eggs were fine. Let's just go to sleep, we need to save our energy."

Jenny grumbled something under her breath, looking at Sabriena. "Come on, just a little bit? I know you have to have some kind of protein in there."

Trunks nodded, "Come on!"

Gohan moved over to Sabriena's side, standing next to her, "No! This is Tien's cabin. His cabin, his rules, his food. If we want food on our own, we have to earn it."

Trunks growled, "The hell we do!"

Sabriena was surprised but grateful that Gohan and Leelee were at least on her side here. But this could turn ugly quick.

"Gohan, you have to have more to eat," Lindsey argued. "I'm not going to let you starve out here!" Her own stomach was still growling and she was tired and cold.

Gohan shook his head, looking to his wife, "No. This is his food. I will be alright."

Sabriena felt bad, she was hungry too, but she knew Tien would have all their heads if they got into that food. "Let's just go to sleep. I'm sure they'll feed us in the morning. It's just one night!"

Trunks snorted, "You obviously don't know my father; he'd let us go without food until one of us drops unconscious from it first. You give us that food or things aren't going to be pretty."

"Guys, knock it off!" Gohan snapped, his hunger and tiredness finally getting to him. "Just shut up and let's go to sleep!"

Jenny growled and threw herself at Gohan, hitting his cheek, making him stumble. Gohan quickly recovered and his energy went soaring as he fought back.

Trunks powered up and went after Sabriena, "Just give us the food!"

Sabriena dropped and spun, knocking Trunks' feet out from under him. She nearly laughed at her own speed. All that training with Tien and Goku was paying off. "No!" she shouted, getting back on her feet as Trunks got up again. She lunged at him, trying to keep on the offensive, to keep him off guard.

"Jenny! Gohan! STOP!" Lindsey cried, trying to get between the two, but she ended up getting knocked to the ground. "Dammit, you two," she growled.

Seventeen threw an arm around Leelee's shoulders, leading her over to the cellar. "Fuck this shit, I'm too tired to put up with them. Let's go to sleep," he said. "Let them kill each other."

Leelee looked worriedly over her shoulder at her friends fighting in the yard, but let Seventeen walk her over to the big heavy door as he pulled it up, the rusty hinges squeaking and groaning. He held her hand as he walked down into the almost pitch-blackness, sighing at the change in temperature. It was still cool, but it was a far sight warmer from the night air outside.

Jenny stopped her fighting just in time to get punched in the face by Gohan who was slow to stop, and her head snapped back, making her stumble. "Great. Now I'm in pain and hungry." She took a deep breath, thinking that perhaps this wasn't what Vegeta had intended for them to come out and do. Then again, survive of the fittest, right? She sighed and held her hands up, "Fine. Fine! You win, I won't eat anything."

Gohan nodded and got up, going over to Lindsey and led her into the cellar after Leelee and Seventeen.

"See? Everyone else is going to sleep!" Sabriena said, blocking a punch from Trunks. "Quit being such a baby and let's just call it a night!" She cried out in pain as Trunks landed a kick to her ribs, sending her sprawling across the yard. "Goddammit!" She got up again, trying not to cringe as her ribs ached. To hell with this. He couldn't find it to eat it if he couldn't see it. She raised her hands to her face and cried out, "SOLAR FLARE!"

Trunks barely had time to gasp before he was knocked back off his feet, his hands covering his eyes. "HOLY FUCKING SHIT!" he shouted, clapping his hands over his eyes too late. He couldn't see, his vision was nothing but white, "Alright! Alright! You win! I won't eat any of your fuckin' food." He groaned, laying back on the cold ground. Damn. He was hungry, but now he had the pain to distract him, "You are a bitch. Damn, girl."

Sabriena smirked as she strolled past him. "You haven't even begun to see bitch yet," she snipped, heading down into the root cellar as Catie helped Trunks to his feet and led him over to the stairs. She waited until they were at the bottom of the stairs before she pulled the door shut with a heavy bang and joined her friends at the bottom of the cellar.

"How deep is this?" Gohan asked, looking around at the shelves in the darkness. He'd never been in the cellar before and it had been a long time since he'd been to Tien's cabin.

"About eight feet," she answered. "It should be about fifty degrees in here or so, I think."

"Better than outside," Gohan said moving to lay down on the cool dirt floor.

Lindsey curled up next to Gohan in a corner of the cellar, frowning as she heard his stomach grumbling. "This isn't worth it," she whispered, thinking of their warm bed at home. She nuzzled into his chest, shivering against his side.

Gohan wrapped his arms securely around her and buried his face into her hair, breathing in her comforting scent. "It's worth it," he assured her. It had to be. His dad wouldn't have agreed to this if it wasn't. And while he was a bit irritated that his dad got to sleep in the warm cabin while they slept out here on the hard ground, he trusted his judgment.

"I miss Phoenix," Lindsey muttered sadly, pressing up against her husband a little more, trying to get comfortable.

He sighed and closed his eyes, kissing her forehead. "Me too."

Jenny frowned at them, thinking of her own daughters again. Piccolo was in so much trouble when this was all said and done. She flopped down next to some jars of vegetables, looking at them hungrily. Thinking all the same that she could go home, still come to the war. What was Vegeta going to do to stop her? But she definitely didn't want to see the look on his face if she quit. It wouldn't be worth it, seeing the look of disappointment in his eyes. She huffed and curled up on her side, feeling miserable as she tried to go to sleep.

Sabriena leaned against a shelf, crossing her arms and watching the others. She wasn't going to sleep until she was certain that they were all asleep first.

"Damn, it's still cold in here," Seventeen grumbled, curling himself around Leelee.

"It's better than outside," she yawned, laying her head on his arm. "Let's just go to sleep."

* * *

Goku peered outside the window, feeling his heart pounding in his chest as he watched them standing in a circle, talking, looking betrayed and finally breaking out into a fight. He almost felt guilty for the warmth they had inside the cabin. But he hated the cold. Hated it. He crossed his arms over his chest, frowning, trying not to shiver as he watched them go into the cellar. "So they don't get to eat?" he asked worriedly.

"Not until we say so," Vegeta answered, sitting down in Sabriena's chair at the table.

Tien narrowed his eyes slightly, but moved to the fireplace to throw together something for them to eat. If they got into the supplies in the root cellar, he wasn't sure if he and Sabriena would make it through the winter unless they ended up eating store-bought food. The very though made his stomach turn.

Eighteen sat on one of the up-ended logs at the table as Piccolo sat across from her, drinking some water. "We're going to need a better game plan than just making them run," Eighteen said as Tien set bowls of stew on the table and sat down in his chair.

"We just have to break them," Vegeta said. "Once we tear them down, then we can build them back up the way we want."

Goku nodded numbly, moving over to the table and digging into his stew. He closed his eyes, it was delicious and hot, warming his bones. He sighed happily, still feeling a little bit guilty at leaving them outside. But they had talked about this yesterday, if he couldn't do this, Vegeta wasn't going to let him fight in the war, he wasn't going to help them by being soft on them now.

Tien didn't like it, but again, he knew Vegeta was right. He silently prayed that Sabriena would forgive him when this was all over. They all ate quickly, discussing their plans for the next day before Tien went to the chest at the foot of his bed and started pulling out furs to make beds on the floor. "Well I hope you're happy, Vegeta," he muttered. "They're at each other's throats already."

Vegeta shrugged as he made himself a bed on the floor. "Part of the process," he said simply.

Tien pulled out some of the furs he had and made two pallets on the floor for two others to sleep on. "I shouldn't have traded so many last time," he muttered. "I, ah, guess someone can sleep in the bed with me. It's big enough." He looked over at the bed, already missing Sabriena's presence there. He wasn't sure he could get to sleep without her reading her book aloud to them.

"No thanks," Vegeta growled, throwing himself down on a pile of furs. "Get to bed. All of you. We have to get up earlier than them."

Goku shivered as he looked around, looking at the floor ruefully. He looked over at the warm bed and spied Piccolo already in a meditative trance, hovering next to the fire. He looked to the bed again and bit his lip before he looked to Tien, putting his best, beaten puppy dog look on. "Ah, Tien... would you mind if we shared the bed?" he asked hesitantly.

"Yeah, that's fine," Tien answered. He would've agreed to it anyway, but there was no way he could say no to that sad face. He'd sort of thought that maybe Eighteen should sleep in the bed, thinking it would be the gentlemanly thing to do to let her sleep there, but she had already made herself a bed near the wardrobe and he found himself relieved. It would've been awkward to sleep next to her anyway.

He kicked off his boots and pulled back the covers, sighing as he wished it was Sabriena in the bed with him. Oh well. He'd rather it was Goku than any of the others.

"I can't believe I'm stuck in here with you bums," Eighteen muttered, making herself comfortable near the wardrobe.

"You're welcome to go sleep in the cellar," Vegeta growled at her without opening his eyes.

"Go to hell," she responded.

Tien shook his head at them.

Goku kicked off his boots before he crawled into the space on the bed below the window. He shivered as he felt a chill from it and scooted closer to the center of the bed. He couldn't stop the sigh that escaped him as he fell to the squishy mattress, pulling up the warm covers. Gods it was beyond heaven. It was like the mattress was pulling him in. He turned his face into the pillow, feeling the warmth surround him and he breathed in deeply the scent of honeysuckle. Gods, how long had it been since he slept in a bed? "Thanks, Tien." He murmured. "Almost forgot what a bed feels like."

Tien gave a small smile and shook his head. At least Goku got to sleep in a bed for the next few weeks. He was glad it was Goku there with him - he might've had to "accidentally" kick Vegeta a few times in his sleep if the Saiyan Prince had laid down in his bed. Tien kicked off his own boots and laid in the bed, staring up at the ceiling. "I'm never gonna get to sleep," he muttered to himself and rolled to his side, his back to Goku, who was already sprawling across most of the bed. He sighed and tried to relax, but he just couldn't seem to, knowing Sabriena was sleeping outside on the cold, hard ground. This was bullshit. They were all going to end up killing each other before this was over.


	15. On the Same Page

Vegeta was the first to wake that morning, stretching until his back popped, staring up at the rafters of Tien's cabin, thinking over his plan for the day. He got up and dressed quickly, the others in the cabin waking as they heard him moving about and they dressed as well, grabbing a very quick breakfast of coffee and toast before they headed out to wake up their students. The sun was just creeping over the horizon as Vegeta kicked open the door to the cellar, bellowing down the stairs, "GET YOUR ASSES UP! COME ON, YOU LAZY DOGS! GET MOVING!"

Leelee whined as she rubbed her eyes, it felt as if they'd just gone to sleep not minutes before. She was cold and stiff from sleeping on the dirt floor of the cellar.

Seventeen growled, but got to his feet, pulling Leelee up with him. He was ready to start a countdown to the day they would be done with this already.

Lindsey stumbled as she trudged up the stairs, her eyes barely open. "Fucking hate mornings," she grumbled with a yawn.

Gohan nodded, hell... med school wasn't even this stressful. His stomach growled loudly at him and he heard Trunks' stomach growling behind him as well. There had been a lot of kicking and pushing last night. A lot of petty little thing like, "get your foot out of my back" or "you're in my space." He sighed and stretched, feeling his back pop. It did nothing to relieve the soreness in his muscles. He was not looking forward to the day ahead of him.

Jenny grit her teeth as she emerged, seeing her husband there, arms crossed, that stoic look on his face. Of course he didn't need food. A sip of water and he was good to go. But for some reason, seeing him there was just pissing her off. This had to be pay back for all the months she'd spent at Capsule Corp, working on the armor.

Vegeta crossed his arms and stared at them for a moment as they stood there, waiting for his instruction. "Well get in line! You're training to be soldiers, now act like it!" he barked.

They moved as quickly as their groggy minds would let them, standing in an almost straight line, trying not to yawn.

Tien frowned when Sabriena stared at him with a look that clearly said she'd like nothing better in that moment than to kick him in the shin. Truth be told, he was tired, too. Goku's snoring had kept him awake later than he was used to staying up. He nearly snorted at the Saiyan who looked bright eyed and bushytailed, knowing he had gotten the best sleep he'd had in months.

"Since you all decided last night that you like to fight amongst yourselves so much, I thought we'd start the day off by letting you work out some of that aggression," Vegeta stated. "Pair up. Let's see where each of you stands in your training thus far."

Jenny cracked her knuckles. This was perfect. What better way to take her mind off of being hungry than to punch out the person who wouldn't share the food last night? She squared off against Sabriena, "Let's do it then."

Trunks didn't dare question his father, he knew better. He'd nearly gotten his ass beat for that same mistake the previous day. He looked around seeing Gohan already squaring off against Seventeen.

Leelee walked over to him. "Come on, let's get this over with," she muttered, hoping Trunks wouldn't totally annihilate her.

Lindsey frowned, hunger gnawing at her insides and she knew that Gohan and Trunks had to be even worse. "Hold on, you can't expect us to train all day on empty stomachs when we barely ate anything yesterday!" she protested. She could hear Catie hissing at her to shut up, to just come and fight with her.

Vegeta raised an eyebrow at her. "You know, a person can live for up to three weeks without a single bite of food," he said calmly before he fixed her with a deadly stare. "Would you care to test that theory? I'm sure your teammates would appreciate it."

Lindsey swallowed and backed down, turning to go fight with Catie. She had never really gotten to know Vegeta very well, but she did know him well enough to not put it past him to make good on his threat. The others would kill her if she tested him.

Vegeta smirked as he looked around, all of them prepared to launch themselves at each other. "One more complaint about food and I'll make good on that threat! And it goes for all of you! One complaint and none of you will eat, I promise you that!"

Gohan's stomach grumbled loudly, but he said nothing. He wasn't sure he completely believed Vegeta's threat, but on the other hand, he wasn't willing to test that theory either.

Jenny shook her head, dropping down into her fighting stance seconds before she launched herself at Sabriena, relishing the energy, thankful to have something to distract herself from the hunger. "Come on then!" she yelled, her hair turning into flowing waves of blue and she threw a wave of water at her friend.

Sabriena screamed out as the water hit her in the icy cold air. "You... BITCH!" she screamed at Jenny, powering up herself, her hair flashing to a brilliant yellow light. She lunged at Jenny, swinging a fist at her face, a satisfaction coursing through her when she managed to land the punch.

Vegeta raised an eyebrow - this was a vast improvement from when he'd watched her spar with Catie. "Come on, Wick! You're better than that!" he barked, trying to get even more of a rise out of her.

Jenny snarled at Sabriena, tapping into her years of training with Vegeta, the pain radiating through her face, the hunger in her stomach. She threw herself into a battle with Sabriena, remembering to turn away when she tried to use the Solar Flare on her. "Bitch!" She dropped to her feet, sweeping her to the ground, making water fists on her hands, punching at Sabriena.

'Come on, Sabriena,' Tien thought encouragingly, trying to school his expression. He'd love to see her beat Jenny; nothing against Jenny of course, but just to spite Vegeta. He had to tear his eyes away, watching the others as they fought. He couldn't be biased here. Not now. The others seemed pretty evenly matched. Gohan and Seventeen were holding their own against each other as were Catie and Lindsey, but Leelee wasn't fairing so well against Trunks, who had gone super Saiyan.

Leelee transformed, her braids turning to ropes of grey smoke around her face, conjuring a freezing wind and blasting it at the Saiyan, trying to fend him off.

Trunks growled his anger as Leelee began using her wind attacks. How did you stop something that you couldn't touch?!

Goku looked down at Dog who was watching the others and whining at the fighting. He looked up at him and all Goku could do was shrug his shoulders. He didn't think this was smart, especially not feeding the Saiyans. He felt sorry for all of them and leaned over to whisper to Vegeta. Vegeta just gave him a look when he suggested giving them some toast and said nothing, but Goku cringed anyway.

Dog thumped his tail on the ground before he got up and wandered over to Vegeta, protesting with a loud bark.

"Tien, get your mutt away from me," Vegeta warned, eyeing the half-grown Great Dane. He'd never cared for animals and he didn't particularly feel like getting bit and having to kill Tien's pet. Which he silently swore he would do if that dog kept looking at him like that.

Tien narrowed his eyes at Vegeta, but slapped his thigh, calling Dog over to him. "Dog! Come!"

Dog gave Vegeta another warning growl and sauntered over to Tien, flopping down on the ground a few feet away from him, giving him a disgusted look before he looked at Sabriena again and whimpered.

Sabriena couldn't believe the ferocity in Jenny's attacks, how angry her friend looked. "The hell's gotten into you?!" she demanded, jumping back to avoid a kick from Jenny.

Jenny grit her teeth as another attack hit her in her cheek. "I'm starving, I didn't sleep well, and my father is watching," she spat, "but I am so happy to see you've greatly improved. Not bad, Schuler."

Goku knelt on the ground, scratching Dog behind his ears, trying not to feel bad as the others fought. "Sorry boy, but it's training. We need to do this... they have to learn."

Dog gave a disapproving grunt and moved out of Goku's reach.

"Oh, he's mad at all of us," Tien said quietly, raising his eyebrows, looking at Dog before Sabriena's voice drew his attention again.

"News flash! We're all hungry! None of us slept well! And I don't give a damn who you're trying to show off for!" Sabriena spat back, thinking Jenny's praise sounded more like patronizing. She was frustrated, for all the reasons she'd just named off, and she swung a little too hard, missing Jenny and stumbling forward, opening herself up to attack.

Jenny's face turned serious and she took the opening, clasping her hands together above her head before bringing them slamming down on Sabriena's back knocking her into the cold mud that was created during their fight. She turned and spat out blood, Sabriena's attacks had been good, the ones she hit. Even made her cut her lip. "And stay down."

Tien cringed inside as Sabriena groaned and pushed herself to her feet. "Fuck you!" she snarled and launched herself at Jenny, dropping all of her training in favor of a good old fashioned wrestling match. She caught Jenny around the middle and dragged her down into the mud with her.

Seventeen paused in his fight with Gohan, his eyes going wide with interest. "Oooooo! Cat fight!" he taunted.

Gohan stopped short of nearly clobbering Seventeen, turning to look at the girls, covered in mud, teeth bared and spitting out insults at the other. He ran a hand over his face and groaned. They were all going to pay for that, he was certain of it.

Jenny grabbed Sabriena's long blonde hair and pulled, both of them slipping and falling in the mud, scratching and biting at each other, Sabriena unable to get a hold of Jenny's short hair.

Seventeen smirked, crossing his arms and shifting his weight to one leg as he watched with amusement. "Awesome training, Vegeta!" he called, flashing a thumbs-up at the irritated looking Saiyan.

Vegeta's tail coiled tighter around his waist as the two women tried to overpower each other in the mud.

"You stupid bitch!" Sabriena spat just before Jenny slammed her face into the mud.

"ENOUGH!" Vegeta roared, firing an energy blast at them, knocking the two girls away from each other. He narrowed his eyes at Gohan and Seventeen. "Well since the two of you look so damn entertained, I think it's time you got your hands dirty. Trade partners. Android, you're with Wick. Son, you can fight Schuler."

Seventeen tried not to groan as he went over to Jenny. "Aw man, now I'm gonna get all muddy. Way to go," he grumbled at her.

Jenny sneered at him. "And here I thought you wanted to fight with a woman in the mud, careful though, that green guy over might just have something to say if you get too friendly. Or maybe not. Try your luck." She powered up again, a vicious smirk pulling at her lips, "now...how do androids fair against water?"

"I love the water, sweetheart," Seventeen grinned, raising his fists. "And it's you who won't be able to keep your hands off of me." He launched into a fight with her, mud splattering on him every time he landed a punch on her or she hit him.

Trunks snorted, his stomach growling loudly at him. He was mad throat he couldn't eat, he was mad that they had to do this, that his own father didn't trust him in battle.

Leelee cried out as Trunks landed a hard punch to her gut, doubling her over and making her gasp for air. "Goddammit," she hissed, reaching out and grabbing his long hair, giving it a harsh yank before she spun and kicked at him.

Trunks roared as his hair was yanked, and he threaded his hands through Leelee's braids, and shoved her down to the ground. Flying up into the air, he powered up a blast and fired at her.

Tien clapped a hand to his face, shaking his head. This was bad. They were good fighters, but put them under stress and pressure and they just seemed to forget all their training. "Man, I'm glad I don't have hair," he muttered to Goku as they watched.

Goku nodded, suddenly worried for his own hair. He looked to Vegeta, "This isn't training; they aren't even fighting properly anymore! They are more like wild animals instead of soldiers. "

Vegeta snorted. They were breaking down faster than he'd anticipated. "Let them make fools of themselves," he answered. "They're the ones who are going to pay for it in the end."

Eighteen was staring at her brother with an unamused expression on her face. Here they were, supposedly taking this training seriously, and all he could think about was a cat-fight between two women. So typical.

"This isn't teaching them anything," Tien argued quietly.

"It's not supposed to," Vegeta answered. "We can't teach them anything yet because these morons think they know it all already."

Goku sighed and shook his head, watching on as they all fought for hours. Tien made lunch in front of them at Vegeta's demand. Goku sighed as he ate in front of them, but it was too good not to eat and he couldn't remember the last time he had a hot meal twice in one day. And to think that they had six weeks of that. It caused a shiver to run down his back and for a moment, he was happy to be there.

Lindsey whimpered at the smell of food and she shot a hateful look over at their instructors as Catie knocked her to the ground. This wasn't training, it was torture. And she could only imagine how hungry her husband must be if her own stomach was growling this much. She wanted to cry, to tell them all to go to hell, but she couldn't give up. She forced herself back up, her whole body aching, and launched herself at Catie again.

The light began to fade from the sky as the sun set, all of them half-assed fighting each other, completely exhausted. Vegeta finally got to his feet again, calling them all over to line up.

Leelee was hopeful, thinking maybe he'd let them get cleaned up and finally offer them a bite to eat. She was cold and sweaty at the same time, her face flecked with mud and her body aching.

Vegeta looked up at the first stars that were starting to appear in the sky. "I think it looks like a nice evening to go for a run," he commented.

Gohan's eyes widened; they were all filthy, bloody, hungry and tired, but he didn't dare speak out, thinking that he would invoke that three weeks without food. And the thought of going to long without food, he didn't know what would happen, it made him want to break down and cry at the thought of being without food for so long. Gods what he wouldn't give for one of his wife's hot meals right then. He just wanted to go for a run and get it over with as soon as possible.

Jenny nearly whimpered, wanting to break down and beg him for food, but she dared not risk it. What was he trying to do? Kill them? She knew Vegeta was harsh and training with him had never been easy, but she'd never known him to be cruel. That's how this felt, though, like he was getting some sort of sick, twisted pleasure out of watching them suffer like that. 'Sadistic bastard,' she thought to herself.

Trunks grit his teeth. His father had never behaved like this before. He had always eaten a meal before training, it was important for strength and energy so this didn't make any sense to him at all. He was half-tempted to wait until everyone else fell asleep and raid the root cellar anyway. Tien could go to hell for all he cared in that moment and the punishment would be worth it.

Vegeta leisurely stretched before he smirked. "Move it!" he barked, leading the way this time. He felt a bit restless from sitting around most of the day and he had plenty of energy to run them all night long if he wanted to. He intended to run it with them, making sure they didn't decide to cheat and only go half way up the mountain or concoct some other such foolish plan. Up and down they ran in the darkness of the trees, feeling nearly blind as they went, stumbling and falling, tripping over downed branches or rocks, sometimes falling just from sheer exhaustion.

After several trips, Vegeta ordered Piccolo to take over before he went over to Tien. "Cook them something to eat," he said. "Nothing fancy and it doesn't need to be much."

Tien gave a nod and headed for the root cellar to grab something to fix.

Jenny collapsed as they finally were lead back to the cabin, falling to the ground as her muscles ached in protest. Gods she was in pain, hungry, tired. It was insane. She was soooo telling her daughters to give Piccolo hell for a few days after they got back and maybe tell Paige to be EXTRA sweet on Vegeta in the most annoying way possible. Trips to the park, singing songs, the works. Her stomach growled loudly as she smelled food, glorious food and she looked up at Tien who was cooking, oh by the goddess above please let that be for them.

Tien threw together a quick meal, some fish and rice, nothing fancy like Vegeta had said, but it was at least something to put in their stomachs. He felt guilty for eating earlier that day when they'd been practically twenty four hours without food.

"Grab a plate," Vegeta barked. "Eat quickly and get your asses to bed. And I suggest you enjoy it - you only get what you get."

They hurried forward, some of them muttering a weak "thanks" as Tien handed each of them their plates of food.

Lindsey nearly pouted; she hated fish. But she could eat the rice. She sat on the ground next to her husband, her arms aching so much she could barely lift her damn fork.

Jenny gratefully accepted the hot food, not even bothering to use the fork as she dug in with her fingers, eating the fish and rice quickly.

Trunks inhaled his just as quickly, his stomach still rumbling at the practically meager portion for a Saiyan. He sighed and pushed the plate over towards the fire pit. At least the food was hot and it had been more than the few bites of egg he had the night before.

Gohan loved the fish, it was delicious , but hell, burnt rubber could have made a tasty meal by that point.

Lindsey finally gave up on the fork and followed Jenny's example, picking up a bite of the rice with her fingers and popping it in her mouth. Sweet mother of god, even plain white rice was like a little piece of heaven right now. Without thinking, she picked up her fish and set it on Gohan's plate, thinking that he needed it more than she did and she didn't like it anyway.

Eighteen narrowed her eyes and marched forward, snatching the redhead's plate away from her.

"HEY!" Lindsey shouted, getting to her feet.

"Not hungry, huh?" Eighteen sneered. "Here," she said and dropped the plate in front of Dog who wagged his tail and happily lapped up the rice.

"I'm starving!" Lindsey protested.

"Not too much, obviously, if you're sharing with your husband! You heard Vegeta! You get what you get and that means no sharing!" Eighteen shot back.

"I just don't like fish!" Lindsey cried, feeling like she wanted to kick the dog or Eighteen... possibly both of them.

"Oh!" Eighteen said, tipping her head to the side. "So Tien's cooking isn't good enough for you, is that it?!"

"No! I just-"

"I suggest you take yourself to bed before you make me do something you're going to regret," Eighteen warned in a deadly voice.

Lindsey's lip trembled, looking over at Goku, hoping he'd take mercy on her, but he didn't say anything and she huffed, storming off to the root cellar, wiping her eyes as she went.

Gohan glared at Eighteen, immediately stopping before he ate all his rice. Damn it all. He ate the fish, he knew Lindsey hated it, but he squished the rice together into a little ball and holding onto it tightly. "Saving this for breakfast," he growled as he stood up, kicking his plate and turned away, disappearing into the cellar, slamming the door behind him. He immediately went to Lindsey. "Hey baby," he said, offering the rice he had left, "Sorry it's not much."

Lindsey nearly sobbed and took the bit of rice from Gohan, hungrily swallowing it down. "Fuck them," she muttered angrily, wiping her eyes again. "Let's just try to get some sleep before I decide this isn't worth it." She pulled him to lay down with her in the corner again, curling up next to him, cold, hungry, and aching all over.

* * *

Goku frowned at Eighteen. "I thought we wanted them working together! What's wrong with them sharing food?!"

"Don't ask me, Vegeta's the one who said what they got was what they got," Eighteen snapped at Goku.

"Stop it," Vegeta hissed at them. He turned his back to everyone sitting around the little campfire. "You save this discussion for after they're in bed," he said in a deadly quiet voice. "No arguing amongst ourselves in front of them. Got it?"

Goku growled but snorted and stood up, going into the cabin, pacing around. He didn't know what the hell Eighteen was thinking. They needed that food! Nothing made him angrier than to see food wasted like that. He kicked off his shoes and sat on the bed, chewing the corner of his mouth in irritation.

Piccolo came in a moment later, looking at Goku a moment before he sat on the ground in front of the fire place, holding his hands in his lap. It was a struggle for him to understand what it must be like for the others to go without food. He had experienced thirst before and weakness from going too long without water, but he had no idea what actual hunger felt like. His body didn't need food. He could eat it, sure, if he felt like it, but that was rare and he only ate on special occasions when partaking of the food felt important.

Vegeta watched as the others quickly devoured their meals as if worried that Eighteen might take their food away as well. Sabriena piled up the plates when they were empty and left them beside the fire pit before she followed the others to the root cellar, not even giving Tien a second glance as she walked past him.

Tien's heart sank. He wanted to tell her that he didn't like this any better than she did. He ached to go to her, to hold her, to say he was sorry. He sighed and followed Vegeta and Eighteen into the cabin, but he paused and called for Dog when he got to the doorway.

Dog pinned his ears back and snorted at Tien before he bounded off, scratching frantically at the cellar door to be let in. Seventeen pushed up the heavy door and let the big dog inside, an amused smile pulling at his lips as Dog trotted over to Sabriena and curled up with her.

"Good boy," Sabriena said miserably, moving to lay her head on Dog's side.

* * *

Back in the cabin, tempers were flaring as Eighteen confronted Goku.

"Don't look at me like that," Eighteen snipped at Goku.

Goku growled at her. "Then don't throw their food away. Especially not when they are helping each other. That's just stupid," he spat.

Piccolo snorted, "You heard what Vegeta said, she can go for three weeks without food."

Goku frowned, "If she wasn't training twenty-four hours a day. That cuts the time in half, maybe even more than that. So don't do it again." He huffed, moving and flopping onto the bed, turning his back to all of them.

Eighteen was seething. "Don't you turn your back on me! And don't ever undermine me again, either! I made a judgment call and I stand by it. She can't afford to be picky like that. What if all they had to eat was fish or something else they didn't like? They should be grateful for what they get. Tien's not a goddamn restaurant!"

Tien wished she'd left him out of this. He didn't know who he agreed with. He could see the point both of them were trying to make and decided to just keep his mouth shut instead of getting involved.

Goku snorted, closing his eyes, "It's a stupid judgment call, just because she doesn't eat as much as Gohan, doesn't mean she doesn't get to eat at all. And if it was just fish, she would eat that, but there was rice. So I don't want to hear it. Goodnight," he said firmly.

"Whatever," Eighteen muttered and crawled into her makeshift bed near the wardrobe, turning her back to the rest of the cabin as well. She was starting to wonder if this plan was going to work at all. Because now she and Goku were pissed off at each other, just like their students.

Vegeta ignored them both, figuring they'd be over it by morning. He agreed with Eighteen's call. And it was more than just enforcing the rules. He secretly suspected that she was going to have to flex her muscles more than himself or the other men to get the same amount of respect, simply because she was female. And if he knew anything about Eighteen, he knew she intended to do just that.

Tien quietly sat on the edge of the bed and kicked off his shoes, sighing and rubbing the back of his head. He wasn't used to seeing Goku mad like that. He laid down beside his best friend, not knowing if he should say something or not, but decided Goku probably wasn't in the mood to talk so he closed his eyes, trying to ignore the tension in the cabin.

* * *

Vegeta lay awake for quite awhile the next morning before he made up his mind. He got up and went to Eighteen, nudging her with his foot until an irritated, "What?" issued from beneath the furs she laid under.

"Get up," Vegeta ordered. "We need to talk."

The petite blonde sat up and frowned, looking at her watch. She should've had at least one more hour of sleep before they all got up. "What is this about?" she asked in a dull voice.

"This is about you and Kakarot," he answered simply.

"If you think for one minute that I am going to apologize to him, you are sadly mistaken," she warned, pulling on her uniform and buttoning it up against the cold.

Vegeta ignored her and went to the foot of the bed, grabbing Goku's ankle and giving him a good shake. "Wake up," he said firmly.

Goku curled up, tucking his face into the blankets at the sudden jerk on his leg and he turned away, curling up towards the wall making a whining noise, "five more minutes" he mumbled. He was so warm, so comfortable, the scent of honeysuckle lulling him back to sleep.

"Oh for-" Vegeta grumbled under his breath, grabbing the blankets and flipping them off of Goku. "Get up!" he demanded. "We have an issue to settle and I want it done before we start the day."

Tien yawned and sat up, gently prodding Goku with his elbow to get up.

"This doesn't concern you," Vegeta said in a low voice.

"'s my cabin," Tien yawned, "so it does concern me." He got up and went to stoke the fire as Vegeta gave an irritated huff.

"Get UP, Kakarot!"

Goku shivered, opening an eye, looking at the older Saiyan before he slowly pushed himself up, hugging the pillow to himself for warmth. He blinked a couple times, the events of yesterday coming back to him and his face grew serious, narrowing his eyes at Eighteen, "What."

Eighteen sneered at him and crossed her arms, but said nothing.

Vegeta's eyes rolled to the ceiling and fluttered shut for a moment as he silently prayed for patience. "You two are going to work this out," he stated. "We can't expect them to learn to work as a team if we ourselves cannot function as one. I'm not going to make you apologize to each other as if you were children, even if that IS how you're acting..."

"Good! I don't need to apologize!" Eighteen interrupted him. "If anything, I deserve an apology from him for undermining me in front of them last night!"

Goku growled in his throat at her, "You made a bad call last night! I'm not apologizing for anything. They need that food. If you don't want to give it back to the person giving the food away, fine, but don't just waste it like that! They are all starving! Pick one of the others to give it to."

"That was the point!" she shot back. "She was wasting food. She needed that energy as much as anyone else. Giving it away was a stupid decision. They can't afford to be picky like that, not out here. And it was nothing but pure disrespect for her to turn her nose up at the food Tien cooked for them."

'Please leave me out of this, please leave me out of this,' Tien begged in his head.

Goku frowned. "It's not turning her nose up at it! And she wasn't wasting food! She was giving it to someone who needed it more than her! Isn't that the point? Getting them to work together like that? If you are going to dangle food in front of them like that then I don't see much point in this training and I'll tell everyone to go home because there is nothing to be learned by that."

"You'll do no such thing," Vegeta interrupted. "Go home if you want, but everyone else is staying here." He crossed his arms and leaned back against the stones of the fireplace, curling his tail around his waist as the flames began to pick up.

Eighteen felt like she could've smacked Goku. "Of course we want them to work together," she answered through clenched teeth. "But not by disobeying orders. Vegeta said they got what they got and she defied him by giving part of hers to Gohan. He's lucky I didn't knock the plate out of his hands, too. And if you're going to be such a softy, then maybe you should go home and leave the training to those of us who can handle it!"

Goku was hurt. He really was. He didn't know what to say back, but just as he went to open his mouth, Piccolo stood up, crossing his arms, "Shut it, the both of you. You sound like pathetic little children. You both have valid points. Eighteen, you should know that a Saiyan is particularly passionate about food. And Goku, back off. Those aren't your kids at the moment, and even so, they are more than capable of handling themselves."

Tien turned back to the fireplace, soundlessly mouthing the words, "THANK YOU," as he fixed coffee for everyone, although he wasn't sure he wanted to give any to Eighteen or Goku. They were wound up enough this morning as it was.

Vegeta nodded his agreement with Piccolo. "Now put it behind you and move on. This has to be the silliest argument I've ever heard. You two are risking this entire operation over some fish and rice? Get your heads on straight."

Goku watched as Piccolo left the cabin, soon followed by Eighteen and Vegeta. He sighed and laid down on the bed, turning towards the window again. It hurt. Fighting a losing argument. Was he too soft for this? He didn't want to change into something he wasn't; the thought scared him.

Tien poured two cups of coffee and went to sit on the bed next to Goku, heaving a sigh. "I don't like it either," he admitted, offering the other cup to Goku. He pressed his lips thin and stared at the cup in his hand, thinking of Sabriena. "I know Vegeta says he knows what he's doing, but I'm starting to wonder. It seems like this is just tearing the group apart more than it is bringing them together. The way they were all fighting yesterday - there was no form, all their training forgotten. They weren't even trying to improve their fighting skills. They were out for blood."

Goku sat up, sitting next to him, sipping at his coffee. It was hot, rich, and was just what he needed to wake up. He sighed, "Yeah... I know. They've never been in a situation before where so much was kept from them. I don't like all the yelling and rules... I mean...it's just not how I train," he said sadly. He looked over at his friend, "do you think I'm too soft?"

Tien drew a long breath through his nose and drank deeply from his coffee cup, thinking the question over before he answered. "Maybe a little," he answered honestly. "But I don't think that's a bad thing. That's what makes you, you. People like Vegeta... they only see the end result, ya know? He doesn't care how much it hurts getting there." He clapped a hand to Goku's shoulder, giving it a squeeze. "I think you're rubbing off on me. I thought this would be easy, but the truth is it's killing me, too."

Goku turned, smiling a little at Tien, and nodded sadly. "Yeah. I thought training would be easy. But I guess, if it was easy it wouldn't be worth doing. I just, you know... I don't want them to hate me when it's all over." Something in him winced at that thought. He didn't know what he would do if his children and his friends started hating him, didn't want him around. It killed his heart to think about that and tears prickled at his eyes and he hastily wiped them away.

Tien gave a nod, thinking of Sabriena. If the others ended up hating him, well then so be it. But not her. He couldn't stand it if he lost her in this process. "They're not going to hate you. Your kids love you. They're the ones that are always saying we're all a big family. Now it's time for them to prove they mean it." He squeezed Goku's shoulder again, giving him a small smile. "They can do this. We can do this. And we'll all be better for it in the end." He dropped his voice lower and leaned closer to Goku, chuckling, "Just don't kill Eighteen in the process."

A shiver worked its way down his spine at Tien's words and he smiled, choking back a laugh. "Don't tempt me!" he said, draining the rest of his cup, before he stood up. "Let's get it over with."


	16. Can't Fight the Moonlight

Nearly a week had gone by with seemingly no progress whatsoever, other than everyone looking like they were ready to murder each other. The half-Saiyans were especially irritable with the lack of food and with the full moon rapidly approaching. Without their tails to allow them to transform, the excess energy would get pent up in their systems and there were only two ways that seemed to relief that energy – fighting or sex.

Even before the moon rose, the affects could be felt, building up in their systems all day long. Gohan was almost grateful that they would be training that day, hoping that it would keep his mind busy and his energy in check.

That was why Goku woke in a mood that morning, he knew what time it was, he knew what that meant. He bitterly thought about how he could be at home with his wife, but no, he was out here. Probably just as well. Chichi hated to be around him when he was like this. He couldn't blame her for it either. He eagerly took over training that day, making them all run in double time, making them put on weighted clothing beneath their uniforms. (Where Vegeta had gotten it, he didn't know.) They were pouring sweat by the time he decided some pushups would do them good, listening to them grumble and complain, bickering amongst themselves when they thought he wasn't paying attention.

Seventeen growled at the sudden change in the usually carefree Saiyan as he snapped at every little thing, nothing seemed to please him that day. Seventeen rolled his eyes, looking to Leelee. "Talk about Saiyan PMS," he muttered to her. Catie and Lindsey had sort of explained the full moon and how it affected the Saiyans and Lindsey had warned that Goku could get downright mean on those days.

Goku paused midstep, his eyes narrowing and he turned back to the android. "What was that? You wanted to do one handed pushups? Go ahead be my guest!" he snapped.

Seventeen groaned and switched his stance, his arms were protesting with the weighted clothes he wore. Gods he had never done so many pushups before.

Goku sneered at him. "That looks a bit too easy. Here. Let me help you," he said before he walked behind Seventeen and planted a foot in the middle of his back and pushed him down to the ground, "Come on wise guy, keep doing your pushups."

Leelee whimpered, but tucked her chin and stared at the ground, concentrating on her pushups. She felt like crying, Goku was working them so hard that day. She couldn't remember him ever being so harsh before. She wondered if they'd done something wrong, if they were being punished.

Vegeta frowned as he overheard the comment from the Android. "That's bullshit," he growled softly to Piccolo, Vegeta's tail twitching and flicking in irritation behind him. He knew Goku was being harsh, but Vegeta couldn't blame him. He felt a bit irritated that day as well, not being able to be around Bulma. He could already feel the affects of the full moon even though it was still daylight out. The excess energy was already building up in his system. He briefly thought about inviting Goku to a sparring match and they could beat the hell out of each other. He tucked the thought away, not sure if he really wanted to do that or not. "Faster! Come on you worthless lazy bums!"

Seventeen grunted with the effort to push himself up against Goku's weight, but it was like trying to move a mountain. He should have kept his mouth shut, he knew he should, but..."Gods, just go wank off so you're not a pmsing anymore," he spat.

Jenny winced at the thoughtless remark. They had been talking about it, the full moon, the pent up energy that had to be exerted either by fighting or sex. And since she was positive he was hardly getting any at home, and certainly not here, his only option was fighting. She glanced over at her father, his tail moving as if it had a mind of its own, he looked more composed, but something about his stance said he was as restless as Goku.

Goku growled and dug the heel of his heavy black boot into Seventeen's back, easily pinning him to the ground, "Well.. come on. Get Up!"

Lindsey cringed inside at Seventeen's words. She and Gohan had warned everyone that Goku was... less than pleasant to be around on the full moon. Now Seventeen was just pouring gasoline on the proverbial fire.

"Shut UP, Seventeen," Leelee hissed at him, daring to turn her head to look at him as he struggled to push back against the force of Goku's foot on his back. She could see the anger and frustration in Seventeen's eyes. And was that a flash of pain? Oh gods, for once just make Seventeen shut his mouth.

"Watch yourself, Dawson," Vegeta growled at Leelee and she gave a little squeak and turned her face towards the ground again. "No clue," Vegeta grumbled as he slowly walked down the line, watching them doing their pushups. "They have no clue what it's like."

Piccolo's eyes snapped over to Vegeta at the words. They sounded... contemplative almost. He looked at the flickering tail and he caught on to Vegeta's thought process, "No way Vegeta. Don't even think about it."

Goku was half listening, his energy was burning through his veins, making everything annoying, everything amplified. He growled at Seventeen's lack of effort but stepped off of him and looked towards Vegeta. "What are you mumbling about?"

Vegeta spun on his heel, his own anger flaring, but he held his temper in check. "I'm talking about these disrespectful little shits and the fact that they think they can just make smart-assed comments on things they know nothing about. This is all just a game to them!" He shook his head, making up his mind. "They have no idea what they're up against, either. They think what they saw in that vision was frightening? Wait until they see a fully transformed Saiyan."

Tien's blood ran cold as he stared at Vegeta. "Vegeta, no..." he breathed. "You can't! Not here!"

"Oh calm yourself," Vegeta said, forcing himself not to roll his eyes. "I've been trained to control it. They need to see it. See what they could be up against if we're attacked on the full moon."

It only served to make Goku even more irritable, to know that Vegeta could look at the moon without consequence, to be able to expend the energy building up inside of them. He just growled before he stalked off to the side, pacing back and forth restlessly. "It's stupid," he muttered, his own fear of that beast coming to the forefront of his mind. He hated it, hated this. He hated this feeling every month and it drove him crazy, not being able to do anything to relieve it. He was going to have to be inside tonight, he would go insane if the moonlight touched him.

Tien cast a nervous glance at Goku, wondering what was going through his head. "Vegeta, I'm not so sure that's a good idea. It's been a really long time since you transformed," he said.

Vegeta growled at Tien, that animalistic sound that made him sound more like an irritated lion than a man. Good gods, that sent a thrill of fear up Tien's spine.

"Do. Not. Question. Me. Today," Vegeta warned, punctuating every word. His eyes held a dangerous gleam and Tien decided to back off. He gave a nod and turned his attention back to their students who were sweating with the efforts of doing so many pushups, despite the cold air.

Goku grit his teeth, trying to reel in his anger. Some part of him knew that it was just the moon, but he couldn't make it stop. "Take a break, " he finally bit out, watching as most of them collapsed to the ground. It wasn't fair to them, him taking his anger out on them, but then, it wasn't fair for him to be out here, was it? He shook his head. "I'm going inside," he muttered, turning around and disappearing into the cabin. He ran his hands through his hair, tugging at his scalp. Gods he was going insane from the inside out. _'Make it stop, make it stop, make it stop.'_

Tien followed Goku into the house, watching his friend with concern. He'd been around Goku on days of the full moon, sparring with him. He didn't enjoy it. Goku was too aggressive, too wound up, and Tien forbid Sabriena from sparring with them on those days. "Easy, buddy," Tien said in a soothing voice. "I know you can't control it. Ignore Seventeen. He's just a young kid with a smart mouth who doesn't know what he's talking about." He licked his lips nervously, "You, ah, wanna go home and see Chichi for a bit? Might take the edge off..."

Goku shook his head. "She'd kick me out in a heartbeat," he said, a little more forcefully than necessary. He didn't know what he could tell Tien without sounding whiney or desperate, but the words spilled form his mouth, "She hasn't helped me out on the full moon for a long time... and for good reason... I keep... accidentally hurting her... I'm too rough…" He sighed and turned around. He didn't know what to do, "I just want to sleep until this is over...do you have anything that will just, you know, knock me out?"

Tien felt an anger rise up in him. He suspected Goku's love life wasn't the best, but to hear that Chichi wouldn't even take care of her husband on the full moon when she knew how much he struggled with it made Tien's blood boil. Goku deserved to be treated better. But now was not the time to bring that up. He knew better than that. He sighed, thinking about it. "I can make you some tea," he offered hesitantly. "I really need you awake when Vegeta does this tonight, though. If he gets out of control, you're the only one who could stop him."

Goku growled low in his chest, the same sound Vegeta had made and Tien took an involuntary step back. "Dammit, Tien! I don't want to be out there when the moon rises! Can't you understand that?!" he shouted, his shoulders shaking as he fought the urge to lash out at his best friend.

Tien held his ground. "Of course I understand!" he shot back. "But I need you to understand that if Vegeta gets out of control, there's no stopping him unless we have your help! He could destroy everything and everyone around us!"

"Let him, for all I care," Goku snarled, giving Tien a dismissive wave and sitting down on the edge of the bed. He rested his elbows on his knees, covering his face with his hands. What was the matter with him? Why couldn't he control this? He hated it. Absolutely hated himself and what he was. He rolled his neck in an irritated sort of way, a muscle working in his jaw as he struggled to calm himself.

"You don't mean that," Tien said firmly, crossing his arms over his chest. "I know you. I know the real Goku and he would never let his friends come to harm." He sighed and went to the rack of herbs on his wall, mixing a strong combination of belladonna and valerian root. He wordlessly made the tea, trying not to shake his head as he worked. A brew this strong would've killed a normal man, but he questioned if it would even take the edge off for Goku. He hoped it would, maybe it would actually knock him out for a few hours and give him some small relief.

Goku eagerly drank the tea down and handed the cup back to Tien without looking at him. He fell back flat on the bed, stretching his arms over his head as he exhaled slowly. He could feel the heat of the tea in his stomach and it didn't take long for the effects of the tea to start coursing through his system, making his breathing level out and his eyes grow heavy. "Thanks, Tien," he murmured softly as sleep claimed him.

"You're welcome, Goku."

* * *

At Tien's insistence, the group gathered that night in a large clearing in the woods a fair distance from his home. If something went wrong and Vegeta snapped, Tien was not about to lose his cabin because of it. The sun had set and the moon was steadily creeping over the horizon.

Vegeta stood before them, not looking at the moon, but already feeling its affects racing through his bloodstream. He could feel the energies of the other Saiyans rising as well. "None of you are taking this training seriously," he said, his voice a bit lower than usual, a dangerous, feral sound to it. "And your blatant disrespect will no longer be tolerated. You have no idea what the full moon does to a Saiyan unless you are one. The Saiyans we're going to face in battle still have the ability to transform. Tonight, you're going to see why the Saiyans were the most fearsome race in the universe." He wore his old Saiyan battle armor as he stood before them, looking each of them in the eye before he looked over at his fellow instructors. "And if one of you even so much as thinks about cutting off my tail again, I will cut off something of yours," he snarled.

Piccolo looked at Vegeta skeptically, but gave a nod any way. He remembered how frightening the transformation was; he didn't need to see it again. But these kids… they had no clue. Vegeta was right about that. Maybe a good scare would set them straight.

Goku was barely paying attention, his blood was singing, feeling the moonlight on his skin. He kept his eyes firmly on the ground, not wanting to make himself more of a problem than he already was. He resented Tien in that moment for making him come out here. He'd fallen into a deep, dreamless sleep and for the first time in ages had been able to escape from the moon for a while. He shivered, an angry knot in his throat, his pulse pounding in his ears. He kept blinking slowly, trying so very hard to not let the moon completely consume him.

Seventeen had to stop himself from rolling his eyes. A threat. How much trouble could a giant ape cause? Just get it a few dozen bananas and he'd be good to go, right?

Jenny watched her father with interest, she had never seen him so passionate about something. Well, except for that one time they had that talk about his heritage, but she never thought she would actually get to see him transform.

Lindsey was chewing her lip, barely daring to blink as she watched Vegeta. Goku had warned her and Gohan to never let Phoenix go outside at night when the moon was full and she was about to see why. She couldn't imagine that the transformation would be that bad. She scooted a little closer to Gohan, slipping her hand into his. She could feel his energy rising as well, the full moon affecting him, too. Normally on the full moon they spent the day and night in the bedroom, making love over and over until Gohan either collapsed or the sun rose the next morning.

Vegeta drew a long breath through his nose, his pulse pounding in his ears, the Saiyan blood racing through his veins. He balled his hands into fists, closing his eyes for a moment, mentally preparing himself for the transformation. It had been a very long time since he had done this. He tilted his head to the sky, opening his eyes, letting them absorb the rays of moonlight. Oh gods, YES. His breathing became ragged as his muscles bulged, his canine teeth elongating, a snout growing from his nose and jaw. He could feel his bones stretching, a feral scream ripping from his throat as his body changed before their very eyes.

Goku felt a shiver work its way down his spine as he felt Vegeta's energy change, the light of the full moon stopped hitting him as Vegeta grew so large he blocked the light from it.

Jenny's eyes went wide as she watched, the man she knew as her father grew fur, his power level going off the chart. Her eyes went wide as she saw the red eyes, staring down at them.

Seventeen's jaw dropped, holy shit. They hadn't been kidding. And this was just one. They were going to be up against five. "Shit..."

Vegeta stood still for a moment, his muscles shivering from the transformation. He couldn't describe the feeling that was coursing through him. It was like coming home. His breath came out in huge puffs that misted in the cold air as he stared down at them. With surprising speed for a beast his size, he grabbed up Seventeen in one hand and held the Android tightly, a wicked sort of grin appearing on the ape's face.

Tien instinctively dropped his hands down to his right hip, preparing to fire an energy blast if need be, but the next second Vegeta spoke, his voice booming and rough, but still with that distinctive accent.

"Got anything else to say about the Saiyans now, Android?" he roared.

Seventeen trembled in that grasp, so tight around him, just barely making it hard to draw breath. He shook his head violently, swallowing harshly, falling to his ass when Vegeta put him back on the ground.

Jenny could barely think, wow... just... wow. She walked forward, her legs moving of their own accord before she took to the air, carefully, slowly. Looking him over, the way the armor had stretched to fit him. The dark, reddish brown of his fur, the way his tail curled back and forth. The immense energy from him washing over her like a wave. "Oh...wow."

Vegeta watched her, his eyes nearly glowing red, laughing in his head at the expression on her face. So she could be rendered speechless. He could feel his own energy radiating from him; it was like a release. He would be able to sleep well that night. He held out his hand, letting her stand on his palm as he held her at eye-level. "Lose the attitude," he warned before he set her back on the ground.

He looked around at all of them, pleased with himself and the level of control he had over himself. He could feel the primal urges to fight, to destroy everything in sight, but he kept it in check. "So," he boomed, "you think you don't need this training. You can handle whatever's thrown at you. Here's your chance to prove yourself. Any takers?" At their silence, he snorted. "Thought not." He looked at his fellow Saiyan, who was still looking down at the ground and Vegeta wondered if a good spar like this could get any of the energy out of Goku's system. "No one feels the need to fight me?"

Goku felt the challenge and his blood soared at the prospect. He let his power go in an instant, his hair flashing to gold, his aura whirling around him causing the others to shield their eyes from the dust and debris that was picked up. He didn't waste any time flying at Vegeta, the moonlight hitting him now, but he didn't care. He gave into the rage, the power, the instincts. His anger and power building up as his eyes beheld the full moon. He grinned wickedly as he fought Vegeta. "Reminds me of old times!"

Despite the size difference, Vegeta could already tell they were pretty evenly matched. Goku giving in to the affects of the moon, letting it take him, spending all that pent-up energy.

"Good gods," Catie gasped, fear curling around her chest. They were beyond vicious. This was nearly as terrifying as the night they fought the dragons and Vegeta and Goku weren't even trying to kill each other right now. She could see the grin on Goku's face as he fought Vegeta, neither of them backing down, firing energy blasts at each other that erupted in the night sky with booming cracks that sounded like a horrific thunderstorm.

Sabriena instinctively scrambled backwards towards Tien, staring at the Saiyans, her eyes huge. No wonder Tien wouldn't let her fight Goku on those days of the full moon. This... this was terrifying.

Goku felt fantastic, letting himself go for this, letting himself take his frustrations out on someone who could handle it, handle this power. Vegeta's punches hit harder, smashing into his entire body at once. He loved it. He could feel blood running down his chin from a busted lip as he powered up another blast and fired.

Jenny backed up, watching with awe at the powerful display before them. The two Saiyans had backed away from the group, making sure they were not close enough to cause damage. Which was good, because if Vegeta fell, they would all be in trouble.

Goku dodged out of the way as Vegeta's gaping maw tried to snap down on him.

Vegeta chuckled. "You're quick, Kakarot," he said in his huge voice. He suddenly spun, catching Goku with his tail, slamming the other Saiyan to the earth. "But not quick enough." He aimed to smash his fist down on Goku, but blinked in surprise when the younger Saiyan caught his fist and held it, pushing back against him.

Goku grinned, his arms barely shaking with the weight and force of blocking Vegeta's punch. "Funny, I was going to say the same thing about you!" He growled and pushed Vegeta back, rocketing into the air, trying to push Vegeta backwards, but the older saiyan knew how to move in the larger body. Gods it was such a rush, he was so happy to relieve some of the energy. It was good to be himself... but he knew why it was wrong, why it was dangerous.

"It's official," Lindsey breathed, staring at them with wide eyes. "Too much training and not enough sleep or food causes hallucinations." This is what the Saiyans truly were? All this time with them, seeing their power, married to one, birthing another and all along, she had no clue that this was what was hidden beneath the seemingly human appearance. "Jesus fucking Christ," she whispered.

"Man, look at them go," Tien gasped, watching the Saiyans. He himself had nearly forgotten what it was like to see a Saiyan transformed. "And Goku's got a smile on his face the whole way." He shook his head, looking down at Sabriena, suddenly knowing in that minute that he'd made the right choice when he'd agreed to this training. They all needed it, each and every one of them. Vegeta was right. The younger fighters needed to see this, to fully understand what they were up against and respect the fearsome power of the Saiyans.

They stood and watched for nearly three hours as Goku and Vegeta relentlessly beat the hell out of each other. Worn out, bloody and bruised, they finally ended their match, Vegeta allowing his body to return to normal, the Saiyan armor shrinking with him until he stood in front of them again. "Now you see what you're up against," he panted, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. "And now you understand the full moon. Imagine having all that energy and no way to expend it." He fixed Seventeen with an intense stare. "Learn to think before you speak. And show some goddamn respect."

Goku was exhausted, for the first time in what seemed like ages on the night of a full moon. He felt his heart thud with respect for the older Saiyan as he was defended against Seventeen's hurtful words from earlier that day. He was hungry, but sleep was sounding better by the second.

Piccolo snorted and walked over, helping Goku stand up, "Come on. Let's get you cleaned up. Can't get blood all over Tien's bed." He turned his head, looking at their students who actually seemed frightened of the Saiyans for the first time. "The rest of you better get some sleep," he snapped.

Jenny watched as Goku was led away before turning back to her father, the others were shuffling back towards the cabin as well. She looked him over, the bruises, the cuts. She had never felt more safe in her entire life. To know he was doing this to protect them. To know he wouldn't do this without cause. Yeah, she'd lose the attitude. They had to make this work. Somehow.


	17. Spoons

Tien sighed contentedly in his sleep, curling himself around the warm body in his bed. He loved moments like this, tucked under the covers against the cold, holding Sabriena tight to him. He felt like he could just hide away with her for days on end. He could smell the scent from her pillow, the sweet honeysuckle that made him feel sleepy and giddy at the same time. Gone was the outside world and all that existed were the two of them here, hidden away in his cabin. Gods, it was heaven.

Goku blinked awake, not sure what had woken him up. He blinked sleepily, feeling like he could drift back any second. He purred at the warm body pressed up against his back, the strong arm wrapped around his waist possessively. He blinked suddenly, feeling something else... and first of all, Chichi's arms were slender... She most certainly didn't have that. He looked down, seeing the familiar arm of Tien snaked around his waist. He should say something, really he should, but he was so warm, so comfortable. He couldn't bring himself to do it. He relaxed, lifting up a hand and poked at the arm holding him.

Tien groaned, feeling his arm being prodded. "Too tired, Sabriena," he muttered sleepily. He nuzzled into her hair, another contented sigh escaping his lips. But something wasn't right now that he was a bit more awake. Her hair smelled different and he groggily opened his eyes, seeing not her light gold hair but black spikes instead. It took him another moment to realize that it wasn't Sabriena in his arms, but Goku. "Oh... OH GOD!" he cried and backpedaled from Goku, his hip slipping over the side of the bed and he fell to the hard floor. He could feel his face burning hotter than it ever had before. "Goku, I'm so sorry!"

Goku turned over, pulling the covers back up around his shoulders, pouting, "Aww You were warm... I didnt mind." He patted the bed, "Come on, get back in, its cold." he said, determinedly not moving from his warm spot, "I didnt mean to wake you up...just you know... alert you... I'm too tired to move." He said. He felt exhausted...but the good kind of exhausted, finally being able to really tap into his Saiyan nature on a full moon. He was thinking he would have to hunt down Vegeta every full moon, but then again...Vegeta might not appreciate that.

Tien got to his feet, casting a nervous glance at the other three in the cabin, but they were thankfully all sound asleep. Or, at least he hoped they were. He couldn't imagine Piccolo not hearing his shout of surprise and the crash as he landed on the floor, but either way, the Namek's eyes remained closed and his face expressionless. He groaned and rubbed his hip, which was aching painfully. '_Idiot,' _he thought to himself as his hip ached painfully. Tien rubbed the back of his neck and looked at the bed uncertainly. "Eh... maybe I should just sleep on the floor," he mumbled, not meeting Goku's eyes. He felt like such an ass. Gods, he felt awkward.

Goku groaned and reached out pulling the man into bed with him. "It's fine," he insisted. He almost felt bad about using his friend as a source of heat, but he despised the cold more than he could ever think possible. Maybe not as much as he hated needles, he shivered, but close. "You miss Sabriena, don't you?"

Tien laid stiffly in the bed as close to the edge as possible, feeling uncomfortable. Had he really just cuddled with his best friend? Good gods above, he felt so stupid and embarrassed. He finally met Goku's eyes and relaxed a bit as the other man didn't seem bothered by it. "Is it that obvious?" he asked. He sighed and moved just a bit closer, not wanting to fall out of the bed again. That was almost as embarrassing as waking up to find himself spooning his friend. His voice was quieter, softer as he spoke. "I can't stand the thought of her out there in the cold. I miss her something fierce."

Goku shivered at the mention of being outside. He smiled sleepily at his friend, the way he spoke about Sabriena. He missed his home, his wife, his son. Gods, he would give anything to curl up with them in front of a fire for a decade. "At least she has Dog to keep her warm," he said, giving another shiver and buried his face into the pillow. "Are you worried, you know, that things won't be the same after we are done training?"

Tien squeezed his eyes shut, swallowing the lump in his throat as he nodded. "I'm so scared she's going to leave me," he whispered. He opened his eyes again, worry filling them as he confessed to his friend, "I don't know how much more of this I can do. She looks so... cold... every time she looks at me. And I don't mean like she's physically cold. Like, she feels nothing towards me anymore. Heck, half the time she won't even look at me at all." His heart sank, hoping that their love was stronger than that, that it could survive this test. "I really, really love her," he said, grateful that they had to whisper because he thought his voice might crack otherwise.

Goku nodded at his friend, "I think it's just the training. It's what Vegeta wants them to do, to put aside things that can distract us and concentrate on the moment at hand. Sabriena loves you too. I can't imagine she would reject you just because of this training." He closed his eyes, thinking about what Chichi had told him that had scared him so badly... that prompted him to try to be what she wanted. He wondered if he should share that.

"I hope you're right," Tien said. Gods, he couldn't imagine his life without that woman now. He shifted in the bed, making himself a little more comfortable. He snickered, "She'll probably make me sleep outside in the cellar for a week when this is all said and done." He shook his head, an amused look crossing his face, "I can't believe she stole my dog." He looked at Goku again, seeing a worried look on his face as well. "What's on your mind? You look like you're worried about something, too."

Goku tested his luck as Tien got more comfortable, easing a his feet nearer to Tien's warm legs, sighing at the comfort. His thoughts turned to Chichi. "It's just... I feel the same, about Chichi I mean. I didn't tell you… or anyone for that matter. She..." His voice cracked and he could feel tears, "she said she wanted a divorce. It's why I came over here looking for advice on how to, you know, be more romantic. She said I didn't do enough of that... that I'm never around."

Tien's eyes went wide at that. "She what?" he gasped, feeling like the air had been knocked from his lungs. He didn't like Chichi, but the thought of his friend getting hurt like that broke his heart and made him angry all at the same time. "Is, I mean, is she still threatening to leave you?" he asked. He rubbed at his face and rolled to his back, looking up at the ceiling for a moment, trying to gather his thoughts. It didn't make any sense. He turned on his side again, staring at Goku. "But the only reason you leave is to train. You're training to save the world, to protect her. She can't see that?"

Goku chuckled at the array of questions. "No, she isn't threatening that any more. And as far as that, she says I should just let one of you all take care of this war instead of me." He sighed, "But then I take a day off to be with the family and she tells me to get out of the house because I'm doing things wrong, chores wrong." He laughed sadly, "The only thing I'm good at is fighting." He paused and sighed, thinking of his son again. He missed Goten more than he missed Chichi. "And I promised Goten I would take him camping as soon as the training was over to make up for this time. Chichi won't come, she hates camping. I think I need to figure out another romantic night for her."

"Couldn't hurt, I suppose," Tien said, thinking that being with that woman sounded more like a chore than anything. He tried to stop himself from shivering but failed. "Cold," he lied, pulling the blanket tighter around him. "Did," he started, seriously not wanting any details about this, "did the first night go okay? I know you put a lot of effort into that." Goku had told him about the plan he'd come up with, the roses, learning to dance, the dinner...

Goku smiled warmly at that, scooting closer to Tien in an unconscious effort to warm himself up. "I think it did. She was speechless. She loved the dinner, the dancing went really well. And I think the roses and candles in the bedroom were a nice touch too. She was so excited; she was just full of energy, couldn't' wait to clean up the room and dishes." He remembered how Chichi couldn't seem to stop moving around that night after their love-making that night. Usually she was so tired that she went to bed early, but not that night. He'd taken it as a sign that she was happy with him, especially when he got up the next morning and saw that she had arranged the roses on the dining room table and had eaten the entire box of chocolate covered strawberries.

Tien blinked his eyes rapidly at that. Oh Goku. Hurrying to clean up everything definitely did not sound like a woman who was excited about what had just taken place, especially if they'd been intimate. Most women wanted to cuddle afterwards, to be held and just lay together all night. They didn't jump up to clean the room and wash the damn dishes. Tien didn't know what to do. He didn't want to make Goku feel bad, but he didn't want to lie to him either. "Sounds like it went well," he said uncertainly, not quite looking at his friend.

Goku smiled. "Yeah? Glad you think so," he said happily, "I hope things work out for both of us." He sighed, "I think one thing I will miss about this training though... this bed. I think I'll take it with me." He turned his face into the squishy pillow, rubbing the softness all over his face, sighing happily, "And you for a heater."

Tien laughed at that, a rich, deep sound as Goku nuzzled into the pillow. "I think Sabriena might fight you for it," Tien warned. "That's her favorite pillow." He shook his head and mock-punched Goku's shoulder. "I'd fight you for this bed, too. Trying to take the one nice thing I own," he said with a snicker.

Goku acted hurt, but the smile on his face wouldn't go away. "Come on, let's try to get back to sleep. I don't know about you, but I feel like a giant ape stepped on me tonight." He winked and closed his eyes, "And feel free to you know... cuddle... I hate the cold."

Tien felt his face go hot again and he shook his head. "Sorry, Goku," he chuckled, "can't do that." He thought briefly about sneaking out to the cellar and stealing Sabriena away, bringing her inside and sticking her in the middle. He sighed, knowing he couldn't do that, and rolled over with his back to Goku, tucking the blankets around him a little more securely. "And keep your cold feet off me," he teased, looking over his shoulder with an amused smirk.

Goku gave him a defiant look, narrowing his eyes at the taller man's back, snickering, "Make me." He grinned, scooting closer to the other man, feeling like a kid at a sleepover and settled into Tien's space, warmth surrounding him instantly. He found his eyes growing heavy as he warmed up, sighing happily, and deliberately stuck his cold feet under Tien's legs, making him jump.

"DAMMIT, GOKU!"


	18. Partners in Crime

"Mother Nature can be one of your biggest adversaries. Training your body to deal with the extremes that nature can throw at you is one of the most important lessons you can learn," Vegeta stated as he walked before their students, his tail swishing impatiently behind him. They still weren't getting it. Even after the demonstration last night, they were still leaving their teammates behind on runs, not working together like they were supposed to. And Vegeta was sick of it. He turned his head slightly to the side, speaking over his shoulder. "Tien! What's the temperature out here?"

Tien stood next to Goku and crossed his arms. "Oh, about forty degrees, I'd guess," he answered.

A wicked smirk split Vegeta's lips. "Would you call that extreme?"

"No."

"Then let's show them what extreme is. Follow me."

Grumbling under their breath, everyone turned to follow Vegeta. They were all extremely grumpy that morning, having been woken up in the rudest fashion yet. Tien had let the chickens out of their coop as Vegeta headed to the cellar to wake their students and he had paused to grab up the rooster as he strolled past. He was still irritated with them from the day before and instead of just yelling at them to wake up, he had flung the angry rooster down the cellar stairs where it squawked and slashed at them with its spurs, flapping its wings, making them all scream in surprise and run for the cellar door.

Vegeta paused on the edge of the river bank, turning and smirking at them.

"Oh good lord," Seventeen groaned, his tired eyes staring at the water. He did not want to end up in there.

"Did the android just volunteer?" Vegeta asked, grabbing Seventeen and flipping him into the freezing water as everyone gasped. Seventeen came up sputtering and waded for the shore, his boots sinking in the thick, soppy mud. "GET OUT THERE WITH YOUR TEAMMATE!" Vegeta barked and Seventeen froze where he stood, his shoulders slumping. "Pushups. Now! And don't stop until he says you can," Vegeta said, jerking a thumb over his shoulder at Goku.

Goku's eyes went wide before they narrowed at Vegeta. It was a test for him as much as it was for them. He gritted his teeth and walked to stand next to him on the bank. What could he learn from this? That people could handle things on their own... that not everyone he loved could be saved. He crossed his arms, mentally counting in his head. Would fifty pushups be enough? Would a hundred? Or should he just let them go until one fell? Tell them to get up and keep at it. He didn't know. He didn't know. He forced himself not to shiver as they waded out into the water.

Jenny was freezing. She never knew how cold it could get until she splashed into that water, had to drop down and do pushups in it. The icy water kept getting in her mouth, her nose. She was soaked to the bone. She was so cold, she could feel the pinpricks on in her limbs, her body growing heavier with each push up, and Goku's face was stoic; he was resolved. She screamed her frustration as she struggled to do one more pushup and then another and another. "FUCK YOU ALL!" She cried out as she continued, she couldn't feel her hands. Her body almost felt warm except her mind knew it was cold.

Vegeta felt his temper flare at her words. He may have let her get away with that at home, but not here. This was different. "What was that, Wick?!" He stomped out into the water to stand next to her and placed his boot in the middle of her back, shoving her under the water and holding her there as she trashed, unable to come up for air.

Catie paused her pushups, watching in horror. "Vegeta... Vegeta, let her go! You're drowning her!" she screamed.

Jenny had swallowed a huge lungful of air, it only made her temper flare before her panic set in that he might actually let her drown. Thoughts of her biological parent flew through her mind and she couldn't fight the urge to protect herself, her power level rising back to normal as she pushed herself back up above the water and growled, "I said, fuck you, SIR."

Piccolo resisted the urge to roll his eyes, powering up a blast in his hand and aimed it at the water in front of her. "Drop your power level, maggot," he hissed. His patience with this entire thing was growing thin and he knew that Vegeta wouldn't actually drown her.

Icy cold water seeped into her lungs, sending her hacking. Vegeta's boot digging into her back, she let her power level drop and she was pushed back under the water. Hearing Piccolo, of all people, calling her that... She was suddenly thankful for the icy cold water. It hid her hot face and washed away the tears that came forth. Was this worth everything to be treated this way by loved ones? Compared to what the enemy would do to them, this couldn't be far off.

Vegeta held her there for another minute or so before he finally let her back up. "Anyone else have anything to say about it?" he asked loudly. No one dared breathe a word. Vegeta grabbed Jenny by the back of her hair and pulled her head back, leaning down to speak in her ear, "If you think for one FUCKING second that you are getting special treatment, you are SADLY mistaken." Even though he was so close to her ear, he still spoke in a loud enough tone for everyone to hear. He shoved her away before he headed up the bank towards the cabin.

"Tien! Piccolo! Eighteen! Come on. Let's get some breakfast. I'm fucking starving."

They fell into step behind him, leaving Goku alone to watch their students.

"Vegeta, what are you doing?" Tien hissed once they reached the cabin.

"He needs to learn, too," Vegeta answered, peeling off his wet clothes and changing into dry ones. "Now fix us something to eat. I think a picnic on the beach sounds good this morning."

Tien set to making their breakfast - shaking his head. Gods, this was killing him. This was getting too harsh. The river was cold in the middle of summer. Being in it now... He shook his head. It wasn't as cold today as it had been earlier in the week. They were still in that odd weather of late fall where the temperatures rose and fell without much warning. If it had been the dead of winter, he wouldn't have let Vegeta do it. They'd freeze to death.

He quickly fried eggs and bacon and toasted a bunch of the homemade bread.

"Think you made enough?" Vegeta asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"Well there's a lot of people to feed," Tien retorted. "We have to start feeding them more."

"Not until I say so," Vegeta answered, grabbing a heavily laden plate. He picked up a second one for Goku. "Come on. Bring your own plates and leave the rest. You too, Namek." Vegeta returned to the bank and sat down, watching as Goku oversaw their students. "Kakarot! Come get something to eat!" he barked.

Piccolo rolled his eyes, he didn't feel like eating and making others watch just made his stomach churn. He grabbed a plate. One of the others could have seconds. Or... he thought it over... he wondered if the others in the river could learn from this, if he could make it into a game, if they would learn teamwork from this. Make them think that the last one standing would get the full plate. Or would they figure out the team work and share with their comrades? He filled the plate up, counting out exactly enough pieces of bacon and did the same with the bread. He filed out and walked down in front of them all and set the still hot plate in front of the ones in the water. "Survival of the fittest. Last one who doesn't pass out from exhaustion gets a meal."

Jenny was seething, she was going to hurt them. All of them. She locked eyes with Vegeta, her expression cold as she did her pushups, drinking from the cold water every time she went down, her expression unwavering, mirroring his.

Gohan shook his head, trying to ignore the smell of the food and the growling in his stomach. Or was that Trunks' stomach? They exchanged a glance. This was torture, not training. Gods, he was starved. His limbs were aching with cold, the water stabbing his skin like needles. And there they were - his father, Piccolo, Vegeta, Eighteen, and Tien, all eating a huge meal right in front of them. He lowered himself into the water again, forcing his body back up. The amount of food Piccolo had set out for them wasn't enough to even whet his appetite, much less fill him up and give him the energy his body needed. He shoved himself to a standing position, pushing his water-spotted glasses up on his nose. "Dad! Come on! You can't be serious! We're starving and you're just going to sit there and eat in front of us?!"

Goku ate another piece of bacon, licking his fingers clean before looking at his son. He nearly cried out for his son to come and eat his own food, but a glance at Vegeta said that doing so was going to cost him and his son in the long run. "You aren't hungry enough. You still have energy to complain so use it to do more pushups. Better hope someone else runs out of juice before you do." He looked at the plate Piccolo set out; a human would eat well. Not a Saiyan. It would be almost torture for the two Saiyans to get that plate.

Gohan gaped at his dad. "Seriously?!" He knew he was risking invoking Vegeta's wrath and might end up going without food. _'Fuck it,'_ his mind screamed. If that happened, he would quit. Vegeta couldn't stop them all from showing up on the battlefield. What was he going to do, fight the war on his own?

Vegeta swallowed his food. "Well, looks like we have our first quitter with this exercise," he muttered. "Son! Plant your ass on the bank! You're out and you just lost your chance for breakfast! And you will address him as SIR."

Gohan shook his head and stomped out of the water to sit on the beach, staring down the river. He shivered in the cold air - the wind was worse than the water.

Vegeta narrowed his eyes and leaned closer to Goku, "Enforce my rules or go home. If we want them to survive, we have to be on the same team, too, Kakarot."

Jenny was looking at the plate. They were all hungry, but only one got the food...It was a joke. The more they exhausted themselves the more they would want to eat. Best they gave up now so they wouldnt be as hungry later.

Leelee's arms were shaking. She couldn't do it anymore. She collapsed in the water and sat on her knees. "Fuck it," she muttered to herself and went to sit next to Gohan.

Lindsey wasn't far behind Leelee. One by one, they started to give into their exhaustion, each moving to sit together, trying to get out of the cold wind. At last there were only two people left in the river - Jenny and Seventeen.

"Give it up, girl. I'm more machine than man. This cold ain't so bad," he taunted.

Jenny growled, "If you're more machine than man, then what the hell do you want food for?" Her teeth were chattering, her muscles were aching, her pushups getting slower and slower, each one taking more effort than the last. She was sure she wasn't going to be able to move once this was over and done with. The food on the bank had long since gone cold, the steam no longer rising. She was sure that if Lindsey wanted to she could heat it right back up. Her eyes snapped open, looking over at the shivering cold others. She looked back at the plate of food, the cold fogging her brain clearing for a moment, her eyes narrowed. "Give it up, android. Take one for the fucking TEAM."

"I still have to eat," he answered. "We've had this discussion before." His teeth were chattering, his shoulders burning despite the cold. "Make you a deal," he said under his breath. "We quit together and split it." He thought about sharing his portion with Leelee. Could he do that though? Just the three of them eat while the other watched? Her words clicked in his head. "The team? You mean share it with everyone? I'm down. Fuck those fuckers," he whispered to her. "We'll all get something at least. And that's better than nothing."

Jenny nodded, "Fuckin' A on that. Go get it." She let her arms give out and splashed into the water below. Oh by the gods... she couldn't feel anything, she was so cold, soaked to the bone, aching and sore. Humiliated. There had to be better motivational team training that could have been done. She crawled out of the water, going over to the other members of their little torture group. Oh she could give up. But she would never be able to forgive herself if they all died because she wasn't there to help them out in the war?

She watched as Seventeen defiantly went over and snatched the plate up bringing it over to them all, handing it to Lindsey to reheat. Jenny pushed herself back up, dropping into a defensive crouch, Eighteen be damned if she dared take this away from them; she would fight for this food.

Vegeta turned his back to them, a smirk pulling at his lips. He gave a wink to the other men sitting on the shore with him. It was finally starting to work. "Well done, Piccolo," he said under his breath, certain the Namek had heard him.

Lindsey reheated the food and sullenly handed it back to Seventeen; she was half tempted to give it to her husband and tell Seventeen to fend for himself.

Seventeen handed a piece of bread and bacon to Leelee who nearly sobbed with appreciation and started woofing it down like she was dying of hunger. Lindsey's eyes went wide as Seventeen handed each of them a piece of the bread and bacon. "Jenny," he said, handing her a portion as he kept the smallest amount for himself.

"You guys are fucking awesome," Trunks breathed as he devoured the small amount of food.

Jenny eyed their "leaders" with a growing hate before she turned back and accepted the food from Seventeen graciously, savoring each bite, the portion of food enough to take an edge off the hunger. She looked at the others, the Saiyans whose stomachs she could still hear rumbling. She growled and hissed at Sabriena." Don't we have anything we can do? Aare there any deer or moose around here we can kill for a decent meal?"

Sabriena gave a nod as she chewed, feeling rebellious. "There's plenty of game here," she answered. "We just have to get away from them long enough to hunt it." She thought about her bow in the cabin. If there was only some way to get to it. "I need my bow. I'd say we could attack with our powers, but the boys would probably just incinerate the damn thing. We might be able to sneak out here and fish tonight. Gohan and Trunks aren't going to survive this if they don't eat more." She was whispering as quietly as she possibly could, cupping her hands around Jenny's ear, praying that Piccolo didn't hear her.

Jenny nodded, whispering back, her hands cupped over Sabriena's ears, speaking as softly as she could, knowing that at this low tone with the others talking, Piccolo wouldn't be able to hear. "If we could get some kind of big game and roast it, we could be golden." She glared over her shoulder at the cabin. She wasn't sure how they were going to get her bow out of there.

"They keep pushing us and Tien will find his root cellar bare," Sabriena answered in a whisper again.

"They're plotting over there," Tien warned, watching the exchange between Sabriena and Jenny.

Vegeta looked over his shoulder. "Well we won't be having any of that," he said and got to his feet. "You have five minutes to change out and get some dry clothes on! There's a secondary set of uniforms in the cabin! And I swear to god, if one CRUMB on that table is touched, you'll lose your hand for it! Now go!"

They ran for the cabin as fast as their aching and frozen limbs would carry them. Sabriena slammed the door behind them as they entered. "Cover me! Cover me!" she hissed and grabbed her bow while the others blinked at her. "I'll throw my bow out the back window," she hissed to Jenny.

Jenny nodded, she was going to have to make some noise to distract Piccolo from hearing, "One second! Lemme get dry clothes on. Do you have arrows for that thing?" She hissed back, "Can you get it to the root cellar and get back here without them catching you?" She changed quickly, not caring that the men saw her. The promise of a full meal later that night was too good. They were all going to have to work together if they wanted it. She groaned as an idea hit her; it wasn't going to be fun, "Come on, who wants to pick a fight with me? They are going to get us for this, but think of the food later. Come on... anyone?" She looked to Seventeen who seemed to be her partner in crime on this.

Seventeen gave a nod, realizing their plan. He could take whatever punishment they threw at him, as long as it meant a full stomach for each of them that night. He pulled on his dry clothes, not even paying attention to the nakedness around him. Wet clothing was being tossed left, right, and center, his teammates electing to go commando instead of wearing freezing underwear. "You ready?" he mouthed and Jenny gave a nod. "Yeah, well, if you wouldn't have been so stubborn, maybe we wouldn't have been in that river so fucking long!" he shouted and shoved her out the door so hard, she landed on her back in the dirt.

"Oh hell," Tien muttered, getting to his feet and running for the cabin.

Jenny let her anger from the cold and this stupid exercise in teamwork flow through her veins. "Yeah!? Well if you weren't so focused on fucking shooting your mouth off, we wouldn't have to do this stupid exercise in the first place! And my HUSBAND wouldn't have called me a fucking MAGGOT. This STUPID plan to make us work together is SHIT and it's only going to tear us apart!" She turned her face towards their teachers who were running up towards the cabin. "YOU HEAR THAT you green bean?! That's right, SIR. Guess who is going to be sleeping with Mr. Popo for a MONTH after this exercise is over?!" She glared at Seventeen and launched at him, "If you are so damn fucking smart you could have put that computer head of yours to work and we all could have been out of that fucking water as soon as he set the plate down." She wondered if it was too over the place, but she had to get Piccolo's attention so his focus and ears would be on them instead of the noise that would be going on. It had to be enough to get them all over her and Seventeen instead of behind the cabin where Sabriena needed to be.

Piccolo winced inwardly at his wife's screams, sparing at look with Vegeta before they followed Tien up to the front of the cabin, Goku and Eighteen not far behind.

Sabriena waited until the men were close enough to the front of the cabin before she slid open the window above the bed and launched herself outside, dragging her bow and arrows with her.

Vegeta was shouting at Jenny to knock it off, trying to break up her fight with Seventeen.

"Goku's coming inside!" Catie squeaked and did the only thing she could think of and attacked Gohan. He grabbed the edges of the door, pretending to use them to steady himself. "I saw you looking at that food!" she screamed. "I'm not going to be punished because you can't control your stomach! Fucking Saiyans!"

Sabriena was relieved to see that they'd left the cellar door open and she nearly leaped down the entire flight of stairs and stashed her bow and arrows behind the preserves on the top shelf. Her heart was thundering in her ears as she ran back to the cabin. Thank GOD she'd been training with Tien and Goku. She was so much faster now. Lindsey and Leelee grabbed her hands and pulled her back into the cabin and slid the window shut behind her, smoothing out the blankets on the bed just as Goku grabbed Gohan and pulled him away from Catie. They froze... It didn't look like he'd seen them... "Please, dear Goddess, please..." Lindsey whispered, looking up at the ceiling. She was desperate for her husband to get a proper meal.

Goku could only remember Vegeta's words, his warning to him, "SON. Knock it off and get your ass outside. All of you!" He glared at them, "What the heck has gotten into you all! You are supposed to be learning to work together! Did you not learn anything from the last exercise?" He frowned, he didn't like this at all. "Vegeta, I think they want to go back into the water."

Vegeta didn't let the pride show on his face. So Kakarot was finally catching on. Good. "All of you out here this instant!" he ordered. "And line up." They scrambled out of the cabin, standing shoulder to shoulder in a line, each of them staring straight ahead. He slowly walked the line, staring at each of them. "Is Kakarot right? You want to go back in the water?"

There were a couple of lame, "No sir" responses.

Vegeta froze and narrowed his eyes. "That sounded dangerously like a yes to me," he hissed.

"NO SIR," they answered in unison.

"I have never seen such a sorry excuse for warriors in my life!" Vegeta barked. "You worthless dogs aren't fit to call yourselves fighters! You think this is bad enough to fight amongst yourselves?! You haven't seen shit yet."

* * *

Jenny snorted as she watched the lamps and lights go out in the cabin, "One good thing about keeping our power levels low - they won't be able to tell if we go for a stroll." She looked back to the group down in the root cellar, "Sabriena. You have everything you need? Make it quick and get back here as fast as you can. And make sure it's the biggest fucking thing out there."

Sabriena created a small ball of light to hang above their heads in the cellar as they sat in the cold dirt, waiting until it was safe for some of them to sneak out. They had been severely punished for fighting again, with Seventeen, Jenny, Gohan, and Catie receiving the worst of Vegeta's wrath.

"I think I can pull my bow," Sabriena said, "But I don't know if I can carry it back here on my own. Someone's going to have to come with me."

Gohan heaved a sigh, "I'd go, but I'm useless," he groaned. "I can barely move my arms."

"I'll go," Trunks volunteered.

Jenny looked over her shoulder at Leelee. "How about you go? Just in case. You still have some feeling in your arms, right?" She chuckled at the look she got. "Gohan and I will get some fire wood. You said near the river right?" She moved to stand up, feeling the energies dropping, "Good heavens, they went out fast. Didn't think they used that much energy bossing us around."

"I think they're getting off on it," Lindsey muttered. "I'll go with you to get firewood," she offered Jenny.

Trunks got to his feet, Leelee and Sabriena standing with him.

"Follow the river down about a hundred yards," Sabriena told Jenny. "There's a good embankment on the side. It should hide our fire from being seen. We shouldn't be more than an hour or so, if we're lucky. The deer are moving this time of year, they should be easy to track. We'll see the rest of you in a bit." The three of them moved as quietly and carefully as they dared, cringing when the rusted hinges of the cellar creaked, and they snuck out into the night.

"We'll give them a minute," Lindsey said. "Then we'll head down where she told us to, right?"

Jenny nodded, the promise of a hot meal making her stomach growl. It made her motivated. If they could get that deer, it would have been worth everything that they went through that day. She was kind of excited; if they ate enough to have full stomachs, Vegeta would be a moment or two to get them to do something crazy again for food. They waited a few minutes, keeping an eye on the power levels inside the cabin, but they didn't stir and they decided it was safe to sneak down to the river.

Jenny, Lindsey and Gohan crept carefully, coming upon the clearing by the river just as Sabriena had said.

"Let's get to work. They'll want a nice fire going by the time they get back to roast that deer," Jenny grinned, her stomach rumbling with the promise of food.

Lindsey couldn't remember a time when she'd ever moved so quietly. The three of them quickly set to work, picking up dried pieces of driftwood along the edge of the river. "When did Subbie turn so... outdoorsy? Fuckin' weird," Lindsey muttered, carefully piling pieces of wood on the bank that was covered in smooth river stones. She jumped when she heard a twig snap.

"Hide," Gohan hissed at the girls and they quickly sank back against the embankment, trying to will themselves to blend into it. Gohan was suddenly grateful for the black uniform.

"Jenny?" came Catie's whisper.

Jenny breathed a sigh of relief and peered up around a rock, "Hey! Over here." They were too jumpy, and she felt angry for it. Yes, the vision had scared them and yes, this training was probably necessary, but damn it all, it wasn't fun. She sighed as they continued to pick up logs and branches, "You know, I almost wish for the time that was before all this. Or, rather, a life where we could live peacefully and not have to worry about fucking lunatics trying to kidnap our babies, murder our families and gods know what else."

"No shit," Gohan agreed.

Catie and Seventeen joined in as they continued to pick up pieces of branches and wood. It took a while, but eventually they had enough for a decent sized fire. They sat down on the bank to rest and wait, praying that Sabriena and the others were successful in their hunt.

"So fucking sore," Seventeen grumbled. "Jen, I know you respect Vegeta an' all, but he's a dick."

Jenny snorted, "No fucking shit. I think he's going to disown us if we fail at this. No pressure or anything." She picked up a stick and drew lines in the dirt. "I think I will make Piccolo sleep outside on the tile. Call it endurance training." She frowned at the ground and lowered her head to her knees, thinking of her baby girls and wanting to snuggle with one. She listened to the sounds of the woods around them, "I hope they hurry, I'm starved."

"YOU'RE starved?" Gohan snapped, but Lindsey put a hand on her arm to silence him.

"We know you're hungry," she said in what she hoped was a calm voice. "But the rest of us are, too."

Gohan huffed. "Sorry," he muttered.

Jenny frowned at Gohan. "I didn't mean that I was so hungry that you all didn't matter. I was just saying. Why don't you and Trunks eat your fill first? The rest of us can eat… if there's anything left," she grumbled. It was a bit more stinging than she was going for, "Sorry, sorry. Grumpy, tired and bitchy...taking my anger out on you guys when all I really want to do is grind those bitches in the cabin to a pulp. Tie them up and make them watch us eat."

The seconds seemed to creep by as they waited. But finally, Sabriena, Trunks and Leelee appeared, dragging a large doe behind them. It had already been field dressed and skinned.

"Lins, get a fire going," Gohan ordered and stood to help Trunks rinse off the carcass in the river from where it had dragged the ground.

"Sorry, I could've carried it if I wasn't so goddamn worn out," Trunks apologized.

The dried wood caught flame quickly and Sabriena set to hacking the deer into pieces. "Thank god I had a knife in my quiver," she said as the others eagerly accepted pieces of meat and skewered them on sticks to roast over the fire.

Gohan barely let the piece of meat on the end of his stick cook to rare before he grabbed it and tore into it with his teeth. "Oh sweet mother of god, that's good," he moaned. He couldn't seem to eat fast enough. He nearly choked at one point, trying to eat so fast.

Trunks wasn't much better. He looked almost feral in the light from the campfire as he eagerly devoured the venison, holding it between his fingers and viciously ripping off hunks with a jerk of his head. "You girls are fucking brilliant," he complimented Jenny and Sabriena.

Jenny grinned at them in the light of the campfire as everyone ate their share. She reached for another stick of meat, the venison melting in her mouth. "Gods, Sabriena. Thank goodness you've been training with Tien and you know these woods." She stuffed her mouth full until her cheeks hurt and swallowed hard. It wasn't before long she was actually starting to feel full and tired. "Mmm, I think I'll be able to sleep well tonight. Damned if they throw a rooster on us tomorrow, we'll just cook his ass up and throw the bones at them. "

"Fine by me," Sabriena said, sitting back and groaning. "Wouldn't be the first time I killed and cooked one of those bastards. Fucking hate roosters. We've gone through three of those things already."

Lindsey was shaking her head, watching the two half-Saiyans as they continued to eat. "I can't believe this shit," she said. "Vegeta? Yeah, he's an ass. We all know that. But Dad? I just... I don't get it. What the hell are they trying to pull here?" She looked at Gohan, "Dad's never been this cold to us. Never."

He shrugged as he ate. "Dunno."

Jenny picked up another strip of the deer meat, chewing on it thoughtfully. "Had to do with your vision Leelee, something about it got to them. Something made them think we needed this. Despite all the hell we've been through before. I don't know about you guys, but I've been through enough torture to know I am barely staying here to put up with loved ones treating us this way. I mean...seriously. What the hell?"

Gohan shook his head. "If it wasn't for Phoenix, I'd walk out. I've been a fighter my whole damn life. I DEFEATED CELL FOR FUCK'S SAKE." He stopped eating and stared at the meat in his hands. "And they're just getting started on us. I don't understand why the hell they think we need this sort of training. Not using our energy. Don't they trust us in battle anymore?!"

"Seriously fucked up, man," Seventeen agreed, reclining against Leelee.

Sabriena looked out across the river, chewing on her nails, staring at the reflection of the moon on the water. "Fucking bullshit," she spat. She looked back to her friends. "And you know what else? It fucking feels fucking good to fucking cuss again. Fuck, fuck, fuckity fuck."

Trunks nearly choked on his food as he laughed at her.

"There's the Sabriena we all know and love," Catie snickered.

"Yeah, fuck you too," Sabriena muttered, flipping Catie off.

Jenny chuckled, leaning against Sabriena, snuggling in and peering at the fire. "Guess we should finish up and get some sleep, no telling what time in the fucking morning they are going to get us up. Could get us up in an hour for all we know. I'm going to give them the finger if they do." She looked over the deer; there wasn't much left, but enough for a small breakfast for each of them. "Let's get the waiter to wrap this beauty up for a to go box, yeah? Oh hell, that's us." She chuckled and forced herself up and started gathering the portions they hadn't eaten.

They put out the fire and helped Jenny carry back the little bit they hadn't eaten. They went in pairs, sneaking carefully across the yard, making sure they weren't caught. Sabriena wrapped the meat and tucked it away on a shelf as everyone got settled in for the night.

"We're going to have to do something about this floor," Catie said. "We spend too many more nights sleeping on the hard ground and we're not going to be able to function at all."

"Why is it so damn cold in here?" Leelee complained, shivering as the temperature outside had dropped overnight.

Sabriena scrubbed at her face with her hand, groaning. "We left the door open."

"We're gonna freeze," Trunks grumbled.

"Not if we sleep together," Gohan said. "We can use our body heat to keep us warm. All of us."

"You're brilliant, Gohan," Jenny sighed happily. She looked around counting. Three men and five women, "Okay ladies, you have to share your men, don't mean nothing by it. We just gotta cuddle."

Trunks carefully closed the door to the cellar, trying to do it as quietly as possible, throwing them all into complete blackness.

The sounds of scuffling filled the cellar as they tried to organize themselves. Catie gave a yelp of pain and Gohan cried, "Sorry! Sorry!"

Seventeen jumped and demanded to know who had grabbed his ass while Jenny gave a long, slow laugh. "Ha ha ha ha ha."

Sabriena heaved a sigh and balanced a ball of light on her hand. "Better?"

"Much," Catie answered and settled herself down on the dirt floor, using a sack of potatoes as a pillow.

"Yay! I get the middle!" Lindsey cried, trying to sound happier about it than she really was.

Gohan laid down between her and Jenny, pulling each of them to his sides.

"Mine," Sabriena growled and laid down on Lindsey's other side before Seventeen could get there. She let the light in her hand die as she snuggled next to her friend, trying not to shiver.

"Bitch," he teased and laid next to Sabriena, Leelee on his other side. Trunks cuddled up to Jenny as Catie snuggled next to him. "See? This isn't so bad," Seventeen grinned. "I get to go to sleep surrounded by beautiful women. Ahhhh. Yes, more training, Vegeta, please."

Jenny chuckled, snuggling close to Gohan's other side and yawned, "I'm not sure if I'll be able to move tomorrow. This is brutal stuff."

Gohan laid flat on his back and wrapped his arm around Jenny, pulling her closer as he hugged his wife to his other side. Their warmth seemed to soak into his muscles, letting him relax just a bit. "This training is a bitch," he agreed. He chewed his lip, staring up at the ceiling above them, wondering if it was going to be like this the whole time or if they were actually going to learn something.

"Still cold," came Catie's voice in the darkness.

"You know," said Seventeen, "I hear the fastest way to warm up is to have an orgasm."

"Oh good god, Seventeen," Gohan groaned, running his hand over his face.

Jenny started snickering, "We could have an orgy! Oh my god, can you imagine? They come out here and find us all going at it." She laughed, "Oh my god, Piccolo would be mortified."

"Should we invite Goku?" Sabriena laughed. "At least then he might go back to being nice to us! Gods, he was an asshole yesterday."

Gohan cringed to hear her speak about his father like that, but he couldn't deny it. "Well, at least he had an outlet for his frustration this month," he sighed, thinking about the fight between his father and Vegeta.

"Yeah, US," Trunks grumbled.

"You know, he wouldn't be that way if your mom ever gave him any!" Lindsey hissed.

Gohan clapped his hands over his face again. "I do NOT want to think about them like that!" There was a moment of silence before a collective shudder worked its way through their group.

"You know what?" Seventeen asked, "If anyone starts feeling frisky, just picture that in your head. Certified boner-killer."

"OH. MY. GOD," Gohan groaned into his hands.

Jenny couldn't stop herself. "His parents or just his mother?" She laughed as she was elbowed in the ribs by Gohan. "Sorry, sorry. But gods, she is just a sour puss. "

Leelee was staring off, not paying attention to the current conversation.

"Leelee?" Seventeen asked.

She jumped and looked over at her friends, just barely able to see them now that their eyes had adjusted to the dark. "Huh? Oh, sorry. You lost me at the word 'orgy'," she snickered, looking back up at the ceiling with a dreamy expression on her face.

"I'm gonna go sleep with my chickens if you guys don't stop," Sabriena threatened.

Gohan bumped Sabriena's arm. "Aw, come on, Subbie. You're not being any fun," he said, barely able to contain the laughter in his voice. Surely he'd get her to blush this time. She did it to him so often, he was bound to get back at her one of these days.

"NO!" she argued through gritted teeth. "We had an agreement. We would NEVER think of each other like that because we annoy each other too damn much. We drank to it on Halloween!"

Gohan sighed and laid back, "I was just kidding."

"That's okay, baby," Lindsey purred and kissed his lips. "I'll just share you with Jenny."

Jenny snickered. " . Now that sounds like fun," she purred and snuggled closer, tucking her hands between her and Gohan. He smelled of old leather and book pages, a hint of cinnamon. It was different than what she was used to, but a good kind of different. "Goodnight you guys. See you all in hell tomorrow." She yawned and closed her eyes, letting her full stomach and the warmth of all of them carry her off to sleep.

* * *

Author's Note: Hello to the new reviewers! *waves* Keep the reviews coming, guys! I'm a review whore, I know, but it makes me feel good to know what you guys think. Thanks! Oh, and JC 87 is off of school for a couple weeks, so look for a lot of new chapters going up quick. We're trying to knock this story out before she goes back to class so we can get on to the next story!


	19. Turning Point

Vegeta crossed his arms as he stood before them the next morning, a small smile pulling at the corner of his lips that he tried to hide. They'd figured it out yesterday, even if they didn't realize that they'd done it. While doing those pushups in the river, he'd seen Jenny and Seventeen conspiring on how to get the plate of food Piccolo had set aside for the winner. And then Sabriena and Jenny whispering to each other, plotting something, although he wasn't entirely sure what. They were working together and his daughter seemed to be taking the initiative to rally her teammates together . Finally. And they all looked surprisingly well rested with no one's stomach growling that morning. "The point of coming out here was to teach you to work as a team," he said loudly, his shoulders squared as he spoke to them. "To do that, you must THINK like a team. If one of you falls, the whole team falls with them. We do not leave anyone behind. You must work together! Stay together, survive together. That is the only way to make it through any battle you face." He looked at them all for a minute longer before he gave a nod towards the mountain. "Get running."

They ran, like normal of course. Goku was leading the way today. Jenny jogged, the cold air making it harder and harder to breath. She looked behind her, seeing Lindsey still struggling to keep up and she sighed, turning to the rest of them hollering, "HEY! STOP! STOP FOR A SECOND!" She made herself slow to a halt, letting Lindsey catch up to them. "We have got to do something about those pants of yours," she teased.

Lindsey shook her head, leaning over, "No..." she gasped, "we need to do something... about my fat ass."

The others slowed to a stop, looking back over their shoulders. Catie frowned for a minute, not even bothering to pay attention to what their leader was doing, if he'd stopped or continued on without them, she didn't care. Vegeta's words were ringing in her head. Stay together. Was that why he said they'd failed at running before? Simply because they didn't stay together? It suddenly clicked in her head as she walked over to Lindsey. "Jesus, you can't even breathe in those," she muttered and pulled the hair tie from her own hair. She unbuttoned the top of her friend's pants and hooked the rubber band through the loop and over the metal button. "There!" she grinned, proud of herself.

Lindsey rubbed at the red marks on her waist, heaving a sigh of relief. "Oh my god, I can breathe," she gasped.

Goku paused when he realized they had all stopped. He turned, watching them help Lindsey and he smiled to himself.

Jenny laughed and started jogging again, "Alright let's get back to it! Come on, let's go!" They went off again, Jenny grinned as Lindsey now was able to keep up with them.

"This is much better!"

Catie kept pace beside Jenny, watching as Goku started up the mountain again, her voice low as she spoke to her sister. "We all need to come in together," she said quietly. "I think that's what Vegeta was trying to get us to do. Stay together. He said we failed and I couldn't figure out how, but I think that's what he meant."

Jenny nodded, "Let's get everyone together then."

* * *

Piccolo was meditating when he felt the energies returning, but instead of the usual stragglers that he felt behind, he felt them all at once. He opened his eyes, turning to look at Goku as he ran them back into the yard. "Vegeta... look," Piccolo said, giving a nod in their direction.

Vegeta glanced over his shoulder, a smirk pulling at his lips as he watched them all come in together. "They finally figured it out," he said. He walked over to the Namek, holding up one hand to signal to Goku to stop, to not take them up the mountain a second time. "I think it's time we started training their minds," he said to Piccolo. "You take them, this is your forte."

Piccolo nodded, moving to stand up and walked over to them. "Congratulations, you've passed the basic part, now it gets harder. Battle is hectic as you all well know; it's easy to get lost out in all of the chaos unless you have focus. Which most of you severely lack." He tried not to look pointedly at Sabriena. "So. Pick a spot, at least five feet from the next person. And get used to it, because we're going to be here for a few hours."

Sabriena narrowed her eyes at him, the look he gave her did not go unnoticed. Focus. She knew far more about focus than he suspected. She made sure there was plenty of space between herself and Catie, who stood to her right, and Gohan, who stood to her left. She folded her arms over her chest and sat down on the cold ground when everyone else did, most of them looking curiously at each other. She sighed and closed her eyes, letting her arms fall to rest her wrists on her knees, waiting for Piccolo's instruction. She hoped she could calm herself long enough to follow whatever he was going to say. No one on earth had ever been able to get under her skin like he did.

Piccolo waited until they all sat down before he sat with them. "We are going to clear our minds. Now that you all know how to get along, guided meditation is the best tactic for you all to learn. If done correctly, you will be able to take all the anger, the hate, anxiety and put it out of your minds. It's like being awake inside without being aware of anything except awareness itself."

Catie cocked an eyebrow at him. What the fuck was he talking about? Vegeta had never used this sort of thing in their training. He talked about tactics and anticipating your opponent's moves, but not being aware of awareness but awake... what the? She screwed her lips together, trying not to snicker. Oh gods, no. Not now. She could feel it bubbling up inside her, that overwhelming urge to giggle when it was totally inappropriate to laugh, like in church or at a funeral or something. She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself and exhaled through pursed lips, unable to hide the way her breath shook with amusement.

Piccolo's attention snapped to Catie. "Something funny?" he asked in a deadly quiet voice.

Jenny's eyes wide wide and she looked over at Catie; she should know better. It made sense to her, Piccolo had taught her how to meditate some time ago, helping her with her pregnancies and all that. But apparently Catie had not had the same training.

Trunks reached over and bopped Catie with his hand, holding a finger up to his lips.

Piccolo grit his teeth, sparing a look at Sabriena before he looked back to the trouble. "Do that again, I'll give you something to laugh about. You running up and down this mountain for a few hours." He smirked, "That's funny, right? Now everyone, shut up and close your eyes, work on clearing your mind."

Sabriena sat with her spine straight, breathing steadily through her nose, her mind going blank. She hadn't even noticed the exchange between Piccolo and Catie.

Lindsey cracked open one eye, looking over at Catie as she whined, rubbing the back of her head. "No, Sir," Catie answered, trying to school her expression once again. She caught Lindsey looking at her and both girls bit their lips, struggling not to fall to giggles. What was so funny?! _'NOTHING,_' Catie's mind screamed at her. Her shoulders trembled and a painful snort issued from her nose and she clapped a hand over her mouth, forcing herself to cough and sneeze. "Sorry, sorry," she apologized. She waved a hand around, pretending to choke, "Bug."

Lindsey squeezed her eyes shut lightly, pursing her lips, dear gods, she was terrified of giving into the giggles that were creeping up on her at Catie's antics.

Piccolo growled and stood up, grabbing Catie by her forearm and hauled her back over to Goku. "This one isn't ready, run her up the mountain a few more times until she doesn't have the energy to crack jokes. And lose the jacket," he sneered, "You don't look cold to me." He went back to the rest of the group, instructing them again through the meditation.

Goku looked to Catie, shaking his head in disappointment, but turned and started running again

"Awwww, Piccolo!" Catie protested. "I'm sorry!" Her face was still screwing up and she slapped her hands to her face. What was WRONG with her?! "I'll be good! I promise!" He ignored her and she sighed, pulling off her jacket and tossing it on the ground, following Goku up the mountain. She was still snickering as she ran, tears forming in the corners of her eyes and she wiped them away, blowing a raspberry as she tried not to laugh again.

Piccolo rolled his eyes as he sat back down. Oh yeah. She sounded real sorry. She was going to be if he had anything to say about it. With Catie gone, the rest shaped up, and to his surprise, Sabriena of all people didn't cause any trouble and was already deep into her own meditation. "Another trick you all might find useful with this, is that meditation can quiet your hunger pains, make you forget about the cold, even be restful as a full night of sleep."

The tiniest smile played across Sabriena's lips at Piccolo's words, his suggestions giving her ideas. Within moments, she was sitting on a warm beach, the sun hot on her shoulders, the sound of the ocean waves soothing her stress. Tien hadn't taught her this. Her hunger and cold gone, she was able to slip deeper into her meditation, focusing her mind again.

Tien felt pride well up in him, feeling Sabriena's energy, telling him she was concentrated on the lesson, not letting herself get distracted by Catie and the others.

Gohan sighed, content to listen to his old teacher. He remembered these lessons; he couldn't believe he had forgotten about them. He concentrated, ridding himself of the nagging hunger and imagined he had slept a full night in a warm bed with his wife and child. It was nice to finally find something useful.

Leelee screwed up her face, not able to get to that state of mind Piccolo was talking about. Everything was distracting, the shuffling of feet by Vegeta and Eighteen. Everyone's breathing, the sound of rushing water. She opened her eyes, looking at Piccolo, wondering how to ask for help without disturbing everyone else, but gave up. "This isn't working for me. I don't think I can do it."

Piccolo looked over at her, reminding himself that this didn't come as naturally for everyone else as it did for him. "That's because you are thinking about it. You have to clear your mind first."

Seventeen was glad that Leelee had spoken up. This wasn't his sort of thing either. Of course, his brain had been mostly replaced by a computer after Dr. Gero had gotten a hold of him and his sister. How did he clear his mind? He kept his eyes closed, but listened carefully to Piccolo, trying to figure it out. He wanted to growl in frustration. His mind was all over the place, thinking about the cold, the hunger, the stiffness in his muscles, how stupid this exercise was and how he was really starting to hate being away from civilization. The harder he tried not to think about these things, the more prevalent they became in his mind. His eyes snapped open and he frowned. "I'm not trying to be an ass, Piccolo," he said, "but I'm with Leelee. I can't shut my brain off."

Piccolo sighed; it was going to be a long da., "It will. You have to exercise a thing I like to call patience. Think of your mind like a glass of water. An active mind has particles floating around in that water. If you try to hurry up the process and shake the glass, it won't settle at all. Give it time and the particles come to rest by themselves."

Seventeen gave Piccolo a skeptical look, but didn't much fancy the idea of running the mountain with Goku and Catie again. "Okay," he said uncertainly after sharing a look with Leelee and he shut his eyes again.

Sabriena was twitching ever so slightly, lost in her mind, sparring with Tien and Goku as if it was just another day. Except on a beach. She was NOT letting go of that imagery any time soon.

They stayed like that for the next three hours. He was sure some of them had fallen asleep instead of meditating, but it would be a work in progress. "Alright. Come out of your states and go get something to ea., We're going to keep doing this until you get it right. And for those of you sleeping, we're going to fix that real quick." He watched as they all shuffled off, his eyes, lingering on his wife a moment before he sighed and looked back in front of him, his eyes widening slightly to still see Sabriena sitting there, still deep in whatever meditation she had put herself into. To be honest, he could have been sure she was the one who was going to cause him trouble.

Sabriena hadn't even heard Piccolo speak, she was so entranced in her meditation. A smile jerked her lips as she imagined herself blocking an attack from Goku and countering it, him landing half in the water of the beach and laughing, having the time of his life. Her arm twitched as the vision of herself swung at Tien... her hands flicked as she practiced the Solar Flare, fully transformed... she could do that here because there was no real danger of injuring anyone or setting anything on fire...

Leelee looked curiously over at Sabriena as she accepted a bowl full of stew from Tien. Oh sweet heaven, REAL food. A real meal. "What's she doing?" she wondered to herself.

"Meditating," Tien answered simply. He was proud of her and he couldn't help the silly smile that appeared on his face as he looked at her.

Piccolo couldn't stop the look of surprise on his face and he raised an eyebrow, looking over at Tien across the yard. What on earth had he been teaching her and how did he get her to do it? He sighed; this was better than he could have hoped. "Sabriena," he said quietly.

Sabriena was suddenly aware of her physical surroundings again, hearing the deep, low voice speak her name. She took a minute to come back to herself before she opened her eyes. She'd done that one too many times before, opening her eyes and standing up too quickly only to fall backwards on her ass. She opened her eyes and felt the cold around her again, realizing that everyone else had left their circle. "Did I miss something?" she asked, blinking up at him. "Sorry, I was... lost in thought."

Piccolo snorted. "I could see that, but don't apologize for it. It was more than anyone else was doing. Tien teach you to do that?" He huffed at her nod, closing his eyes a moment. "Didn't think it was possible for you to be quiet and sit still for even a moment," he rumbled softly, trying not to break the mood. "You've come a long way from that spoiled brat I met those years ago. Sleeping in my bed." He gave her a look.

Sabriena pressed her lips together, trying not to smile at the memory. "Yeah, well..." She shrugged. She looked past Piccolo to Tien. "He's a good teacher," she said, the admiration more than apparent in her eyes and the tone of her voice. She sighed and got to her feet, brushing herself off. "I'm not that person anymore," she said softly, looking down at the combat boots she wore. Her voice dropped to nearly a whisper, "I don't like that person."

Piccolo looked down at her, considering her small form for a moment. He thought he couldn't stand her. Thought she didn't give two flips about what they did, how to fight properly. But that girl was gone now and in her place stood a young woman, devoid of fine clothes, jewelry and shoes. He pinched the bridge of his nose, thinking. Sabriena was one of Jenny's best friends. And while he hadn't acknowledged that he was awake that night, Tien falling out of bed had indeed woken him and he heard how passionately his friend spoke about Sabriena. She wasn't going away and it would be better for everyone involved if he could at least try to get along with her. Knowing he was probably going to regret this, he said, "So that person is gone." He held out a hand to her. "Piccolo," he said gruffly, feeling only a little foolish.

Sabriena raised a skeptical eyebrow, actually stepping back with one foot, looking up at the tall Namek. She ever so slowly reached out and took his hand, shaking it. "Sabriena," she said. "The real one."

Tien's eyes went wide, his jaw falling slightly open at the sight. He knew how much Sabriena and Piccolo disliked each other. Holy shit, Vegeta's plan was working better than he'd ever thought possible.

Piccolo nodded and thumbed towards the others. "Now go get some food, you've earned it," he said, before he turned and walked away, ignoring Tien's dropped jaw.

Goku came back running for about the fifth time with Catie in tow. Piccolo looked at her, "Do you still think it's funny, or do you need to keep running a few more hours?"

"Please," Catie panted, clutching a stitch in her side, "No more... not... funny..." She looked longingly at the others who were eating their fill of stew and homemade bread. Her eyes were pleading as she looked from Piccolo to Goku, hoping at least the latter would take mercy on her. "I... didn't... mean to." Her mouth was dry and her throat felt raw, her stomach growling in hunger. "I'm sorry."

Piccolo nodded. "Then go get something to eat and we will try it again. Put your jacket back on, can't have you getting frostbite," he said.

Goku sighed, watching as Catie joined everyone else. The warm fire drew him over and he went to it, sitting next to it, holding his hands close to the flame, tempted to stick them in there. "Smells good, Tien," he said appreciatively, watching as seconds were given to the half-Saiyans.

"Have some," Tien offered, filling a bowl for Goku and handing it to him. He wanted to relax, to let down his guard a bit, but he was still unsure. What had happened here? Just yesterday everyone was still grumpy, not working together, their students fighting the authority exerted over them, but now... He shook his head. They'd reached their breaking point and apparently Vegeta had decided it was time to start building them back up. But at the same time, Tien knew it wasn't over and he felt on edge about that. Vegeta could be a wild card like that - he could throw some grueling task at them in the blink of an eye and upset the calm that had seemed to settle over everyone. "Man, I don't even know what to think about this," he muttered to Goku.

Goku nodded, holding the hot bowl of stew close, eating carefully. "Hard to say what's going to happen next," he murmured into the bowl before looking up at Tien. "I think it's just best to go with it... who knows what's going to happen but maybe that's the point. Battle's the same way, why should training be any different?"

Tien gave a soft snort. "Yeah, I guess you're right," he said, filling a bowl for himself and settling himself on the ground next to Goku, looking over at Sabriena as she ate her meal.

She caught his gaze and gave him a small smile. "Thank you, Tien!" she called loudly, elbowing Trunks, triggering the others to call out their thanks to him as well.

Tien gave a nod to them as they returned to their food. Sabriena shot him a wink before she turned to listen to something Jenny was saying and Tien felt his heart leap. Maybe she wouldn't hate him when this was all said and done after all.


	20. The Book of Atlantis

The older Saiyan sat by the fire, staring into it thoughtfully as he tore off another hunk of meet with his teeth. This was a strange land they were in for sure. But the meat was plentiful and the weather was hot and that was good enough for him. Much better than that shithole they'd been stranded on for all those years. Kale shuddered at the memory. While these Atlantians were a strange folk, it was nice to be around new people for a change. He and his comrades had only had each other to talk to for about as long as he could remember. He was grateful for the change of scenery; the hunting here was good, the mission they were on was easy, although tedious, and the women were easy on the eyes. All in all, he considered himself pretty damn lucky to be where he was.

Beside him, Tora flopped back in the tall grass, plucking a weed from the ground to chew on. He crossed his arms behind his head, sighing contentedly as he stared up at the stars in the night sky. There was no moon tonight and he was grateful for it. He had a full stomach and his muscles were sore from their work that day and all he wanted to do was curl up and go straight to sleep. But his mind wouldn't allow it.

He could hear the Atlantians as they went about the camp, some of them talking and laughing loudly together, others singing songs and dancing around their little campfires. He didn't mind them so much, but the constant noise they seemed to generate wore on his nerves.

"Eat, darling," Enye cooed, running her fingers through her mate's long white hair as she sat with the Saiyans around their fire.

Tora turned his attention towards her, watching as her mate slowly raised another bite of food to his mouth, almost mechanically, his eyes glazed and unfocused. It made Tora's skin crawl. He didn't understand why her mate had been placed under a spell, but seeing the way the man's eyes seemed so lifeless was unnerving. He followed her about like some zombie, never speaking to anyone, following her orders without seeming to have a single thought of his own. Perhaps that was the way of these people, but Tora's idea of mates was something quite different indeed.

"What's eatin' ya, boy?" Kale asked in his rough voice, seeing Tora's distant look.

Tora shook his head, moving the weed in his teeth with his tongue. "I understand what we're looking for," he said, "what I don't understand is why this book is so damn important."

"'s none of your business, Tora," Kale warned in a low voice. "It's orders, that's all. We do what we're told and that's that. What they do with this book once we find it is not our concern."

"Orders," Tora growled ruefully. "Yes, that's all we're good for, isn't it? We took orders from Frieza and look where that got us. Now we're supposed to just blindly follow Kadar and do what he says?"

"Yes," Kale answered firmly, his square, scarred face frowning at Tora as if he didn't approve of the younger Saiyan questioning their new leader.

The tiny female Saiyan narrowed her eyes at Tora. "What the hell else are we supposed to do?"

Tora sat up at that. "What do you mean, what else are we supposed to do? Good gods, do you even hear yourselves? You sound like mindless minions, just taking orders from whatever egotistical bad-ass barks your way!"

Enye turned towards him, narrowing her eyes. "You sound awfully ungrateful towards the man who rescued you from that planet you were stranded on. Perhaps you'd like to go back? That can be arranged, you know," she threatened.

Tora felt a thrill of fear shoot up his spine at her words. No. He never wanted to go back to that place. Anything, even death, was better than that.

"At least here we have a job to do," Kale added. "It's better than sitting on that planet with nothing to do at all. Now shut your mouth, Tora, before you get us all banished."

Tora crossed his arms, frowning. "Bardock wouldn't have gone for this," he muttered.

"Oh, would you shut up about Bardock?" Fasha snapped.

"Dude, he's dead," added Durian as he walked over with his brother, both of them moving to sit next to the fire. "He's been dead for a long time. Would you just let it go?"

"Just let it go?" Tora growled. "No, I will not. He was our leader, our friend! How can you just forget him like that?"

"Bardock abandoned us!" Durian snapped. "He turned around half-way to planet Kanassa! Kind of convenient for him, don't you think?"

Tora narrowed his eyes. "What exactly are you implying?"

"I'm saying our ships were sabotaged with only enough fuel to make the trip one way. And then half way there, he suddenly has the urge to turn around and go back? Bardock set us up," he spat bitterly.

"WHAT?!" Tora roared, getting to his feet. "You're out of your goddamn mind, Durian! Bardock tried to save our planet! Frieza killed him, how can you think he betrayed us?"

"Maybe that was part of Frieza's plan all along. Get Bardock to lead us off the planet, then attack him when he returned," Kale added thoughtfully.

Tora rounded on him, not believing what he was hearing. "Don't tell me you believe that too!"

Kale shook his head slowly. "No, I don't believe that Bardock would betray us like that. But it sounds like something Frieza would do."

"Does it really matter?" Durian's brother finally spoke up. "Bardocks' dead and we're here now. Does the why really matter anymore?"

Tora looked at Daikon, the way he stared at the fire as if he was just numb inside. The two brothers looked so much alike, it was unnerving. Some of the Atlantians had asked if they were twins. Durian, amused by the thought, would tell them yes while his brother shook his head and had to explain that Saiyans did not give birth to more than one child at once.

"It matters to me," Tora said.

Daikon shrugged and ran a hand through his long spikes of black hair. He looked at Enye. "Well let's hear it then," he said. "Maybe that way Tora will quit being so sullen all the damn time."

Tora narrowed his eyes at his friend, but remained silent. It was true and he knew it. Something about being in this place, working on a new mission, just made the sting of losing his leader come back full force. It didn't feel right without Bardock. On Kanassa, although he loathed the planet, at least he was able to block it out because they weren't working on anything. They weren't receiving missions and looking to Bardock to lead them. But here… He shook his head. He was the second in command when Bardock was alive and now his team looked to him to lead them.

They'd been working day after day, systematically going through places looking for this goddamn book and he didn't even know what the significance of it was. This mission was different than what they were used to, though. Always in the past, they arrived on a planet, wiped out the entire population with as little damage to the planet itself as possible, then returned home for new orders. This time, they were actually searching for something, questioning people, going from town to town, across continents even, trying to find one book. It was a long and tedious process and Tora didn't much care for it.

"What do you want to know?" Enye asked simply.

"Why the hell it's so important to you," Tora answered.

"The book is a very ancient text, written long ago before Atlantis was destroyed," she answered. She caught his questioning look and explained, "Our home. A continent here on earth that was sank into the sea by the Greek gods as punishment when we attacked Athens. For nine-thousand years, our people ruled most of the world. But it wasn't enough. We were following the instruction of our goddess, Apollymi. We were destined to take over the world, to bring everyone together as one people, to pay tribute to our goddess…"

Tora's eyes went wide. "You were there?!" He looked at the young woman with shock on his face. No way was she over nine-thousand years old. She looked twenty at best.

She shook her head slowly. "No, I was not," she answered. "I was a young child then. Only a few hundred years old when our home was destroyed and we all went into hiding."

Tora shook his head as if trying to shoo away and annoying fly. "What?"

Durian chuckled, licking his lips as his eyes scanned Enye's tiny form. "You look pretty good for an old broad."

Fasha narrowed her eyes and smacked Durian upside his head with her tail.

"OW!" he cried, grabbing the back of his head and giving her a nasty look.

"Shut up, you lot," Kale growled and the younger Saiyans fell silent. He nodded to Enye to continue.

"Our goddess was imprisoned by the Greek gods. The seal that was used to imprison her was hidden away. Kamahina found it and called all of us back together, to try and release our goddess. But… the powers we need to do so…" she trailed off and shook her head. "The powers live within humans, given to them by the gods. It was nearly impossible to find a human with even one of the elements, much less five of them. We know where they are now, but getting to them has proven to be nearly impossible. They have learned to use those powers and have done so in battle against us. We keep trying, but they best us at every turn."

"Not that you were much help," came a sneering voice and everyone turned to see Hybris standing there, her impossibly long hair pulled up in messy buns on either side of her head, long tendrils of it still managing to touch the ground behind her. "You turned traitor and tried to help them."

"I was fooled," Enye answered quietly. "I believed that peace could be brought to the world by helping them and that the people here would return to the old ways on their own. Forcing them into servitude was not what I wanted for this planet. But now I see the truth. The only way to get what we want is to free Apollymi. Then we can restore order to this planet, we can regain the respect we deserve."

"I still don't understand why the book is so important," Tora pressed, his irritation growing, but at the same time, he found himself strangely fascinated with her story. She had to be at least three thousand years old by now, with the way she explained everything. Saiyans lived exceptionally long lives and aged slowly and gracefully, their race evolving over time as warriors, their youthfulness guaranteeing that they could continue to fight for as long as possible. But they didn't live nearly that long.

"No one knows for certain what's in the book," Enye answered. "But it is known that there are very powerful spells locked away inside it. Kadar and Sigourney believed that if we could find the book, we may be able to find a different way to free Apollymi from her prison. If we can do that, then the entire world will have no choice but to follow us and the old ways."

"Or that we may find spells unknown to us to be able to subdue the ones carrying the elemental powers," Hybris added.

"So you found the ones carrying the powers you need?" Fasha asked and Hybris nodded. "Then where are they? Why don't you have them here? Take them prisoner!"

Enye and Hybris exchanged a glance. "We've tried," Enye said. "But… as I said before, they have been trained to use those powers against us. And the ones who taught them are extremely powerful beings as well."

"What kind of beings?" Daikon asked, his curiosity piqued.

"Saiyans," Hybris answered.

The group fell silent and Tora could feel his eyes nearly popping out of his head. "There are more of us? Here? Alive?" he gasped, feeling as though he could've been knocked over with a feather. "But why didn't they come looking for us?!"

"You didn't matter to them," Hybris answered coldly. "Your prince left you to fend for yourselves out there. He traveled here and made himself a nice little life. He never gave you a second thought."

"I don't believe that," Kale snarled. "Prince Vegeta wouldn't abandon his people like that!"

"Just like your leader Bardock wouldn't have left you in the middle of a mission?" she countered, raising an eyebrow.

Kale growled, a low, rumbling sound bubbling up from his chest. "Yer mistaken. Prince Vegeta isn't here. He died with the other Saiyans."

"Believe what you will," Hybris said casually, giving a shrug. "You'll see for yourself when we face them again. And we will. Once we find the book, the first thing we're going to do is get revenge for all the death and destruction they have caused among our people."

"Let us handle that," Fasha said with a wicked grin. "I don't care if it's Vegeta or not. If there are Saiyans here, I want answers as to why they left us behind."

Tora was trying to process all the information being thrown at him. He shook his head. "Prince Vegeta was only a child when we went on that mission. You can't expect him to remember us, even if he is alive. Hell, for all we know, he was told that we were dead!"

"You're such a softie, Tora," Fasha said in a patronizing tone.

"Shut up, Fasha."

"Is it just Prince Vegeta who's here?" Daikon asked, warily watching his brother as he played with a burning stick, poking the fire.

"No, there are others," Hybris answered when Enye didn't. She had turned her attention back to her mate, who was still mechanically eating the food she'd provided for him. It was for the best. Enye had lifted the controlling spell that had been placed on Hashem after the last battle, but he'd gone insane when she tried to tell him that they should rejoin Kadar. After begging and pleading with him for days, she'd had no choice but to put him back under the spell. "I don't know their names, save for one. Goku."

Tora frowned again. "That's not a Saiyan name," he stated.

Hybris shrugged. "He looks an awful lot like you two," she said, nodding towards Durian and Daikon.

The brothers blinked at each other. "Could it be Radditz?" Daikon asked. "He left on a mission right before we did."

"Maybe, but why the name change?" Durian asked.

"Maybe it was his way of escaping from Frieza," Kale reasoned. "Come here, change his name, his identity…"

"That's a cowardly thing to do," Daikon sneered.

"Did you ever know Radditz to be brave?" Kale countered. "That boy was a lot of things – strong, smart, self-absorbed. But brave he was not. I wouldn't put it past him."

Daikon snorted and crossed his arms over his chest, frowning. "Stop it," he scolded Durian as his brother held the burning end of his stick dangerously close to Daikon's tail. He didn't like hearing Radditz talked about like that, even if it was true. Radditz was family to him and Durian, like it or not.

"I don't think that sounds right," Hybris said, then looked at Enye. "What's Goku's Saiyan name?"

Enye shook her head, running her fingers through Hashem's hair again. "I don't remember."

"Well, regardless of names, the Saiyans here are extremely powerful," Hybris said. "And they protect those girls with their lives."

"Yeah, but I bet they don't know how to use magick," Fasha grinned, a strange, swirling ball of reddish-orange light hovering above the palm of her hand.

"Put that away before you hurt someone," Kale growled.

"Honestly, you worry too much," she snickered, but extinguished the magickal energy anyway.

Tora had stopped listening, his attention drawn away by a couple of young Atlantian women who were dancing around their campfire, singing happily at the top of their lungs. He licked his lips, his eyes roaming over their curves, the sound of their pretty voices filling his ears.

"TORA!"

His attention snapped back to his group at Fasha's outburst. "What?" he sighed.

She wagged a finger at him. "Uh-uh!" she scolded with a knowing look in her eye. Fasha didn't approve of mixing with the natives when they went to new planets. It was beneath them, she said, and if any of them needed taking care of, she was all the female they'd need. Durian was known to take her up on her offer quite often, but Tora never did. Not even when they were stranded. Daikon and Kale's commitment to their mates was too strong, even after the destruction of planet Vegeta, so Durian had Fasha to himself. Tora didn't mind so much, but seeing the beautiful women here did prove to be a bit of a distraction.

"So how do you know the book wasn't destroyed when your city was?" Tora asked, trying not to let his eyes drift back over to the other campfire.

"It went missing before Atlantis was sank into the ocean," Hybris answered with a sigh. "An Atlantian woman fell in love with a human man. She was shunned for it and as punishment, she took the book with her. She left the key behind, so the locked section of the book is useless to everyone now."

"Where's the key?" Tora asked, unable to stop himself. He was becoming far too intrigued with the story now.

"We have it," Hybris answered. "It's hidden in a place no one would ever think to look for it."

Tora nodded and moved to lean back against the log near the fire that Enye was sitting on. He was fascinated by the story of the Atlantians, but the curiosity about the other Saiyans on this planet was far more pressing on his mind. Could their prince really be here? Perhaps they could convince him to join them somehow. And the other Saiyan… perhaps he could join them as well. Tora didn't want to see any more of their people die. There were so few of them left now as it was. He just wished someone knew the Saiyan's true name. He looked to Enye again, "Are you sure you don't know the other Siayan's name?"

She shook her head. She was sure she'd heard Vegeta speak it that day they were all locked in the dungeons of the old castle, but now she couldn't recall what it was.

Hashem opened his mouth, his jaw working like he wanted to say something, but the words seemed to fail him.

Enye's eyes went wide. "What is it?" she asked, her voice sounding hopeful.

"Ka… Ka…" his voice was a harsh whisper as his glazed eyes continued to stare into the fire.

Hybris lifted an eyebrow, watching with mild interest.

"Ka – ka – rot," Hashem choked out.

"Kakarot?" Tora breathed, his heart hammering in his chest as he turned more towards the Atlantian. "Did you just say Kakarot?"

"Hey, wasn't that the name of Bardock's kid?" Fasha asked, her own interest piqued now. "The one they were going to send away?"

Tora nodded, his eyes still fixed on Hashem. "Are you sure that's his name?!"

Hashem said no more and went back to eating his food.

"Well, sounds like whether it's Radditz or Kakarot, we're going up against one of our nephews," Daikon stated, huffing.

"Good," Durian sneered, "It'll be like getting revenge on Bardock for leaving us like that."

Daikon rolled his eyes. "Bardock was our brother. He didn't just leave us without good reason. He went back to stop Frieza. You know that."

Durian snorted. "Yeah, whatever."

Daikon turned towards him suddenly. "Let it go! It doesn't matter now anyway!" he snapped then turned to look at the fire once more.

Durian rolled his eyes and moved the stick closer to his brother's tail again, the tip of his tongue sticking out of the corner of his mouth as he concentrated, a look of amusement on his face.

"Honestly, none of you can see the bigger picture here," Fasha scowled, resting her chin in her hand.

"And what would that be?" Kale asked gruffly.

"If our prince is here, then that means there's hope for our race yet," she answered, a devilish gleam in her eyes.

"I'm not following you," Kale stated.

"Doesn't matter," she said, getting to her feet and stretching. "You all have fun playing patty-cake out here. I'm going to my tent. I have plans of my own to work on now."

"What plans?" Tora asked, but she didn't answer and walked away. "Fasha, what plans?!" He huffed as she ignored him. He didn't like her tone or the look in her eyes when she spoke. She was up to something and he wasn't entirely sure he wanted to know what it was. He was so caught up in his thoughts that he didn't even flinch when Daikon gave an angry yowl of pain, the smell of burning fur filled the air, and Durian ran off laughing like a maniac.


	21. The Final Test

Vegeta would be lying if he said he wasn't proud of their students. They had come a very long way in the six weeks of training. Everything they did, they worked together. He could see that their bonds had grown stronger, that they were closer than they ever had been. Making them hunt together, eat together, sleep, train, work, meditate together had worked exactly the way Vegeta had planned. They were respectful, obedient to the orders he and the other teachers gave them. They had all reached individual milestones in their training as well – Catie finally learned to calm her mind and meditate without giggling at Piccolo, Jenny and Seventeen had surprisingly emerged as leaders among their group, Sabriena and Leelee (previously thought to be the weakest of the group) proved that they were each a force to be reckoned with, and Lindsey had joyously run out of the cellar one morning, screaming that her pants fit again. Even Trunks and Gohan had made leaps and bounds in their training, learning to trust the judgment and strength of their teammates, figuring out that they didn't have to try to protect them all the time or go easy on them in training. They were all stronger, faster,smarter... There was nothing left to teach them now, save for one thing.

Vegeta had approached the other trainers one night after their students had gone to bed. "We need to talk," he said, drawing their attention.

Goku blinked at him, seeing an exceptionally stern look on his face. "What's up, Vegeta?"

"We've been training them to face our enemy in battle, but there's one part we haven't covered. How they handle themselves if they're caught and are put through an interrogation. We need to find something to test them with. If they pass, then I'd say our training here is done."

Tien felt a bit of excitement at that. It would be nice to have the cabin to just him and Sabriena again and to go back to the way things were before. It'd be nice to say her name instead of shouting "Schuler!" all the damn time. But this interrogation process... he wasn't sure he liked the sound of that.

Goku looked alarmed, "Interrogation?! Vegeta, you mean torture?! What... I mean... I don't mean to question it or not do it, but Vegeta, what if something goes wrong?"

Piccolo had his ears on the conversation as well. Interrogation. He knew the Saiyans had some rather interesting methods to get information out of people and he knew Frieza couldn't have been a walk in the park either. No doubt Vegeta knew exactly what they were likely to face. And Piccolo hadn't forgotten Leelee's vision, either. "He won't let them die, Goku. But I think we should know how far is too far before we do this."

Vegeta thought for a minute. "No one's going to lose their life or end up permanently scarred." He paused and tapped his temple. "But we can make them think we might. It's more mental than physical. They're too stubborn to give in to their own pain. But seeing their comrades hurt - that's how we get them to talk. Or, rather, test them to make sure they don't talk."

Goku drug a hand through his hair, looking at the others. He didn't know if he could watch...but it was a test for him as well. He had to watch and he would have to stay silent, trusting Vegeta and the training he had given over the past weeks. "How… how do we do this, then?"

"We have to find something to question them on," Vegeta answered thoughtfully. "They have to have made a mistake somewhere, tried to hide something, gone against our wishes somehow."

"I haven't seen anything like that," Eighteen stated. "Aside from that first week we were here, they've pretty much done exactly what we've told them to do."

"There's something," Vegeta insisted. "I don't care how small it is, they aren't perfect. They've slipped up somewhere. Now we just have to find it."

* * *

The opportunity came sooner than they expected. It was only a few days later when Tien found the exact thing they were looking for that would end the training at his cabin. He stood and watched as Goku oversaw their students going through their morning routine as he started preparing breakfast for everyone. He was starting to miss Sabriena's cooking something fierce and he was eagerly looking for something they could use to initiate this interrogation process and get the whole thing over with so that everything would go back to normal.

Tien sighed when he realized they were out of coffee and he headed out to the cellar to get more. He was proud of all of them. They were functioning as a team; they'd gotten over their defiance and the idea that going into battle was an every man for himself situation. Now it was all about their team. He smirked when he saw the rough bed they'd managed to make at the bottom of the cellar stairs. When had they done that? Smart kids. But something else caught his eye and he frowned. Sabriena's bow was sitting on an upper shelf, tucked behind some packages of meat he knew hadn't been there before. When had they snuck into the cabin to get it? He grabbed it and the packages off the shelf, staring at them in his hands. He felt a strange mixture of excitement and dread crash through him. This would be perfect. It was obvious they all knew about it and none of them had spoken a word; they'd tried to hide it. Drawing a long breath through his nose to steel himself, Tien marched back up the stairs, the coffee forgotten.

"Vegeta! Eighteen! Piccolo! Come with me," he barked as he went inside the cabin, holding the bow at his side, standing at an angle where their students wouldn't see it. Vegeta and Piccolo exchanged a look before Vegeta barked, "Continue with your training!" and headed into the cabin.

Goku watched them as they went into the cabin, closing the door behind them. He had to admit, Vegeta's training was effective. The more he saw them being able to handle what they were throwing at them, the more he began to relax and let them do what they had to do, not afraid to bark an order here and there. He didn't want to make a career out of it, but he could do it. He couldn't help wondering what had Tien looking so stern and he suddenly wished he had Piccolo's hearing so that he could listen in on what was going on inside the cabin.

Tien set the bow and the packages of meat on the table. "I found this in the cellar. It's the bow I made for Sabriena and I know that meat wasn't in there before. Somehow they got into the cabin and stole her bow and arrows without us noticing."

Vegeta narrowed his eyes for a moment before he smirked. "Perfect."

Eighteen blinked at the bow on the table. "So what do we do now?" she asked. "And how the hell did they manage to get past us?"

"I suppose that'll be up to us to figure out," Vegeta answered. He drew a long breath through his nose, staring out the window of the cabin, watching them as they practiced in the yard, their movements perfectly in sync with Goku's instruction. This was going to be the hardest part yet. His eyes scanned over the line of students, trying to decide which one to go after first.

Piccolo looked out over Vegeta's shoulder, staring at them as well. "You've trained them well, Vegeta. Getting a confession out of any one of them isn't going to be easy."

"We'd better not get a confession out of them at all," he replied. His eyes narrowed on his own son, remembering how he'd been the most vocal about being hungry. He stormed out the front door, letting it bang against the wall of the cabin as he marched forward and slammed his fist into Trunks' face, knocking him to the ground.

Goku was so stunned by the change in Vegeta's attitude and demeanor that he froze, not knowing what to do or what had gotten into the older Saiyan. He half raised up, getting ready to defend Trunks when Piccolo reached out a hand and caught his shoulder.

Leelee's eyes widened, recalling the horrifying vision as if she had seen it yesterday. The look in Vegeta's eyes was feral, like he was ready to tear Trunks apart with his bare hands. "Oh gods, no..." she breathed. What was Vegeta on about?

"Thief!" Vegeta accused.

Trunks could have swore, the punch to the face smarted but when his father grabbed him up and accused him of that, he was at a loss. He grabbed at Vegeta's hand trying to pry him off, "What are you talking about?! "

"You know damn well what I'm talking about, now tell me what I want to know!" Vegeta demanded, slugging Trunks across the face again.

Catie was frozen to the spot, not knowing what to do, her heart hammering against her ribs as she watched the scene before her. Was this some kind of test? Had Vegeta snapped or was he being controlled by some spell? Vegeta had told them over and over again to work together, protect each other. She made up her mind in an instant and if she was wrong, she'd accept the punishment. She jumped on Vegeta's back, trying to grab his wrist to stop him from punching Trunks again, but Vegeta gave a loud snarl and threw her to the ground with his tail.

"Bind their hands," Vegeta barked, pulling Trunks up and twisting his arm behind his back, binding his hands with energy bands.

Tien felt like his heart had leaped into his throat. This was it. Their final test, to see if they could hold out against the pain and mental abuse, to not give in should they be captured in battle.

Goku hesitated only a moment before he sprang into action, following Vegeta's orders and quickly set energy bindings on everyone's hands, watching them all struggle.

Jenny growled, "What the hell is this?!"

Goku barked, "Shut up, Wick. Or the next one to talk is going to regret it." He sneered. Hate... he hated himself in that instant... wanting nothing more to go to protect them, but he knew it was as much as a lesson for him as it was for them. They were ready. They could do this on their own

Sabriena was glaring at Goku and Tien as they stood over them, their expressions stoic. She looked to Piccolo, whose face devoid of emotions as well. _'Bastards,'_ she thought to herself, wondering what in the hell was going on. They'd done nothing wrong as far as she knew.

Vegeta stood at Goku's side, watching them, not saying a word. They stood there for a good long time, their students on their knees before them, the silence building. Vegeta fought the urge to smirk. It didn't bother them the way a growing silence like that would bother most people. "It would seem we've had a bit of mutiny here," Vegeta said slowly, his voice level, calm. "What's the matter? Couldn't handle a little hunger pain?"

Jenny felt her insides turn to ice, but didn't dare flinch. Her mantra to not move, not blink, don't look around, don't give anything away. She saw the bow Tien carried with them and their stash of jerky. He threw it on the ground in front of them, still wrapped. Fuck that. If they hadn't done what they did, they wouldn't have made it through what they did.

Goku looked at the food on the ground, realizing that Vegeta had finally found the thing he was looking for. He looked back at the group, trying to figure out which one was guilty. "So who did it? Who stole the bow? Who went and got a midnight snack?"

Not one of them gave any indication that they'd even been spoken to.

"Not talking, huh?" Vegeta asked. Still, no one responded.

Lindsey ground her teeth together as she tried to inconspicuously work her wrists free of the energy binds. They could all go to hell. She wasn't ratting out her friends and she'd do it again if it meant her husband had a decent meal. Her knees were aching as she knelt on the cold, hard ground, but like her peers, she said nothing.

"So who do we interrogate first?" Vegeta pondered aloud.

Piccolo crossed his arms, looking fierce. "It's Schuler's bow. Maybe we should start with her," he suggested.

Goku pressed his lips together and walked forward, grabbing Sabriena up by her hair and making her stand before he pushed her in front of Vegeta, yanking her head back. "Did you use that bow to get some extra food for you and your friends?" He hated himself. He hated how low his voice was, how dangerous. He hated how heartless he was. He hated the pride that swelled in him when Sabriena didn't speak a word. "Not talking Vegeta."

Sabriena refused to look at either of them as her head was pulled back by her hair. She could've killed Goku in that moment for treating her like this. She saw Tien out of the corner of her eye, but he wasn't looking at her. The bastard. _'I ought to poison their food the next time I cook for them,' _she thought to herself. Here they'd gone back to working decently together, much better than that first week, and now they were all going back into asshole-mode. She wasn't going to tell them a thing. This was a test, this was what they'd been training for, to not give in to the enemy, not give information, to hold your tongue and go somewhere else in your mind away from the pain.

Eighteen walked out into the yard, carrying one of the wooden chairs from Tien's table and set it on the ground, grabbing Sabriena and shoving her roughly to sit in it.

"How'd you do it, Schuler?" Vegeta asked.

She pressed her lips to a thin line and said nothing.

Goku swallowed, his insides going cold. His power level was already low. He drew back his hand and back handed her, the sound resounding in silence of the yard. "He asked you a question! You ANSWER when you are asked a question! Tell us how you did it!" He could see the hatred in her eyes as she glared at him, the pain there, a muscle working in her jaw. But the determination he saw kept him steady. If she could do it, so could he. He just prayed they would all forgive him when this was over.

The pain exploded across her cheek, but it was nothing she couldn't handle. She righted herself in the chair and stared straight ahead again, trying to remember Piccolo's teaching about going somewhere else in your head.

Vegeta let himself smirk this time. "Stubborn little bitch, isn't she?" He leaned closer to her, trying to look in her eyes, but she kept staring just over his shoulder. "There's no denying it. Tell us who helped you steal from this cabin!" When she refused to answer, he grabbed her by the shoulders and threw her to the ground, kicking her hard in the stomach with his boot.

Sabriena's eyes went wide at the impact, the air forced from her lungs and she gasped for air, choking... Vegeta kicked her again and she cried out, but quickly fought to regain her composure, breathing heavily. "Not... telling you... shit," she spat.

Goku growled, "Speak to him properly!" He roughly moved her into an upright position and backhanded her again. "And sit up straight!"

Piccolo closed his eyes for a moment, trying to calm himself. He didn't like Sabriena, but even this was brutal by his standards. "Anyone want to talk? You could save her a lot of pain if you do." He glared at all of them before glancing at Tien.

Tien was trying to block out what was happening to Sabriena, but he could feel the fury building up in him. This was as much torture to him as it was for her. He wanted nothing more than to attack Vegeta and Goku for hurting her. He ground his teeth together, but maintained his composure. "Come on. I know one of you knows something. Speak up. It all ends as soon as someone gives us just one piece of information." His mind was screaming for someone to crack before he did. But they were unmovable. Vegeta's training had been too solid.

Sabriena tipped her jaw to the side, popping her neck before she sat up straight. "Sorry. I'm not tell you shit, SIR." Moving so fast she didn't see it, Vegeta punched her in the face, knocking her back so hard she hit her head on the edge of the steps to the cabin. She screamed out as she felt her scalp split and the hot blood trickle down the back of her skull.

Goku's eyes went wide, he stepped forward before he could stop himself, but froze, his eyes locking on Vegeta's. If it was the enemy who split her skull, they would laugh in her face and do it again. He picked her up roughly by her arm and hauled her up and forced her to stand. "Don't bleed all over my boots." He gave her a shove towards the others, turning his attention to them instead.

Tien gave a start at the sight of his girlfriend, the blood starting to mat the hair at the back of her head, the bruise on her cheek. His back to the students, he scowled at Goku, but said nothing.

Leelee wanted to shout at them, her mouth opening to do so, but she quickly shut it. Sabriena was okay. She looked pretty rough, but she'd be all right.

Tien was furious. Let's see how they handled it when it was one of their own. He grabbed Gohan up and shoved him towards the door. "Lord knows he can't control his appetite. You know he had a hand in it," he said nastily before he grabbed Sabriena and drug her over to the line, sitting her up on her knees where she'd been before.

Piccolo snorted; this he could do. He'd been hard on Gohan before. He stalked over to him. "Own up Son, we know you had something to do with it. You were just hungry right? Saw Schuler's bow and thought you could get away with a snack... be the hero for your little group. Speak up!" He threw a punch at his face, knocking him backwards end over end.

Goku felt his anger surge at seeing his own son being treated that way and he sent a heated glare towards Tien and Piccolo.

Gohan sat up, his glasses falling from his face, and got to his feet, staring defiantly at them. Yeah, he'd been part of the plan. He and Catie had provided the distraction to get the bow out of the house and they'd been punished for it. And he'd do it all over again. Even now, when he knew they were going to beat him until he either broke or they moved on to the next person, he'd do it again.

"This one doesn't want to talk either, huh?" Tien smirked and grabbed Gohan by the arm and threw him against the side of the cabin, his shoulder smacking into the hard logs.

Gohan gave a painful growl through clenched teeth, but got to his feet once more. "Fuck you," he spat.

Goku gritted his teeth together, locking his knees in place and crossing his arms across his chest. He would not interfere, reminding himself that they knew what to do. They knew exactly what to do.

Just as Sabriena had been, Gohan was forced into the chair by Vegeta who leaned over him, grabbing his face roughly, nearly growling at him. "Tell me how you did it," he said in a dangerously low voice.

Gohan was a smart kid… he'd like to think himself as one at least. He pressed his lips together and stared straight ahead, ignoring Vegeta, his mind playing over the details from his training. "I don't know anything about it, _sir,_" he stated firmly.

"You don't know?" Vegeta mocked. "Maybe this will help you think." He pulled his fist back and drove it into Gohan's stomach, smirking as he heard Gohan heave for air. He stepped back and gave a nod to Eighteen, who stepped around in front of him, balling her hand into a fist.

"Now, let's see if we can get you to talk," she said in a smooth, even voice.

Seventeen leaned over to Jenny, his partner in crime when it came to getting themselves out of these sort of things. "What is this?" he whispered, watching as his sister began to brutally beat Gohan. "How the hell do we get out of this one?"

Jenny shook her head. She didn't know. Her mind was working furiously, taking in everything going on around her. Gohan seemed to be keeping his composure, refusing to say another word to Eighteen or Vegeta as his own father stood there and watched. Sabriena looked woozy at best, slightly swaying on her knees. She'd hit those stairs hard and Jenny feared she might have a concussion. Sabriena needed healing and fast before she passed out on them. Jenny struggled against the energy binds, but it was no use. They were far too strong.

"We have to break these binds somehow," she whispered back, even though she knew her husband could hear every word.

Piccolo growled and walked over to her, back handing both Seventeen and Jenny. "Think you are being clever, do you?" He grabbed her up and gave her a hard shake. "If you have something to say, why don't you share it with the whole class?"

She grit her teeth, a smirk pulling at her lips, "You should go fuck off, SIR," she spat.

Catie's eyes went wide and her lips formed a tiny 'o' at Jenny's answer. She had NEVER heard Jenny speak that way to her husband before. This was it. Time to see if they could put all that training to use, to hold their own. She forced her breathing to remain steady, exchanging a look with Trunks, both of them silently agreeing to not give in to whatever they were faced with. Though she stared hard at Piccolo, she was also sharply aware of where Tien and Goku were, what they were doing, and what was happening to Gohan.

Seventeen got to his feet, the pain stinging through his cheek, glowering at Piccolo. "Hey, fucker! Let go of her! Why don't you take on someone your own size?!" he challenged, tipping his chin up defiantly, a vicious gleam in his cold blue eyes.

Piccolo slowly, eerily, turned his head towards Seventeen. "What's that?" he asked in a dangerously low voice. He let Jenny slip from his grasp back to the ground. "You have information you want to share, Android?"

Seventeen held his ground as the tall Namek stalked forward. He would not give them what they wanted. He refused. "Come on," he taunted, "you think you're a bad ass, puttin' your hands on a woman? Try me on for size!"

Piccolo snarled and grabbed Seventeen, throwing him so hard against a tree that the trunk cracked. Stars popped in the android's eyes, but he struggled back to his feet, laughing. "That all you got, bitch?"

Leelee whimpered, drawing Tien's attention.

"Got something you'd like to add, Dawson?" he asked.

"No, sir," she squeaked.

Tien snorted at her and turned his attention to Lindsey. "How about you, Blackwell?"

Lindsey was trying to hide the fact that she wanted to cry as she stared at her husband. Bruises were forming on the left side of his face, his lip split and blood pouring from it. She wanted to cry out, to beg them to stop, hell she'd even take the blame for taking the bow just to make this end. She opened her mouth to speak, but Gohan gave her a firm look, telling her he could handle it. She breathed evenly through her nose, closing her mouth, and ignored Tien's question.

To tell the truth, Goku wasn't much better off. He was screaming inside for someone to break, to end this. He looked around at them all, the blank expressions on their faces. It was like this was nothing to them. It was going to take more than this to get them to talk and deep down, he knew Vegeta was just getting warmed up. He cringed inside, his stomach twisting painfully into knots. The sooner this was over, the better.

* * *

Vegeta questioned each of them in turn, trying to use their pain to get them or their teammates to talk, but no one said a word. He was proud of them. But he wasn't through just yet. It was late afternoon when he strolled out of the cabin, a length of black fabric in his hands. He ran it through his fingers, smirking at them. "On your feet, all of you!" he shouted.

Everyone awkwardly got to their feet, their hands still bound behind their backs.

"Take your sorry asses down to the river. NOW," he growled.

They turned sharply and walked in a line to the river, none of them saying a word, as Tien grabbed Gohan and marched him along behind them.

Though she said nothing, Lindsey couldn't help but throw Goku a nasty look as she passed him.

Eighteen gave her a rough shove to keep walking. "He's not saving your ass today."

"This will make you talk," Vegeta sneered as he fell into step with them.

Goku gave away nothing, pushing them forward when they stumbled and looked at them all before he looked to Vegeta. This next part was going to be one of the he hardest things he was ever going to have to watch. He didn't want to. He wanted to go cry. This was more difficult than any enemy he had to face before. Fighting, dying, pain - it was easy because he could do it. But this... it wasn't him... not at all.

They were forced to sit on their knees on the cold river bank, the rocks digging painfully into their knees, as Vegeta blindfolded Gohan and shoved him forward. He stumbled into the cold water, falling to one knee, but got up again. Two strong pairs of hands grabbed him by his arms and drug him further out into the river. The cold water was stabbing his skin like knives, he could hear the rushing of the waterfall. What were they doing? He was being forced backward… he could feel the spray of the waterfall on his face… "DON'T TELL THEM SHIT!" he screamed before the water hit him full-force in the face. He couldn't help himself. He struggled against Piccolo and Tien, his nose filling with water as he tried to spit out the constant stream that filled his mouth. He was drowning, he was sure of it...

Goku bit his lip so hard he could taste blood, but he watched. He watched as his son was drowned. He looked at the others, their expressions were wide eyed and jenny had even gotten to her feet. Her eyes blazing. "Sit down wick! Unless you want to join him!" he spat at her, taking out a bit of his frustration by yelling at her.

"Just give us a name and this all ends," Vegeta taunted. "Are you going to let your comrade die? He's drowning! Hell, he hasn't been brought back by the dragon before. You think we should tempt fate and see if Shenron can bring him back after the Fates already revived him once?"

Tears were brimming in Lindsey's eyes as she watched her husband struggling for air. His legs were kicking wildly in the water - it looked like Tien and Piccolo were almost having trouble holding him down. She knew what that felt like, to be held under water, to feel like you were drowning. Surely Vegeta wouldn't go that far, would he?

"Tell us who did it!" Tien ordered, standing Gohan up straight.

Gohan gratefully sucked in a lungful of air and turned towards the sound of Tien's voice. "No," he answered in a dangerous tone and slammed his head forward, connecting with Tien's nose, knocking the bigger man backwards into the water.

Goku could see the blood spilling down Tien's face and the whole of the group was starting to get antsy. They all had the same expression, they all were prepared to lay down their lives for this, to protect whoever had a hand in getting the bow. This was about to come to a head – they wouldn't stand for much more of this.

Tien got to his feet and scooped up a handful of water to rinse the blood from his face. Damn kid broke his nose. He grabbed Gohan and shoved him under the waterfall again, tightening his grip as Gohan struggled harder than ever.

"GET CONTROL OF HIM!" Vegeta shouted at Piccolo as he went to Jenny and grabbed the back of her neck, pinching her pressure points. "You have something you want to say, Wick?"

Jenny growled dangerously at him, tears in her eyes from seeing her friends being treated like this... from her own husband doing it. She wasn't giving up anything.

"Suck my dick," she spat at him.

Seventeen openly laughed at Jenny's insult and Vegeta kicked him hard in the jaw for it. "You're going to regret that, Wick," Vegeta snarled and drove his fist into her stomach, doubling her over before he smashed his elbow into her spine, knocking her face-first into the snow crusted rocks.

"Yeah, suck her dick, Vegeta!" Lindsey screamed.

Catie was furious at seeing her sister treated that way. She and Lindsey locked eyes and nodded before they launched themselves to their feet and rushed Vegeta, catching him in the stomach with their shoulders, and knocked him to the ground.

Goku blinked, frozen to the spot, watching the chaos before he found himself doubled over, the air heaving from his chest. Leelee had used his distraction to jump up and drive her knee into his stomach.

Jenny got up, spitting blood, and charged Goku as well, both of them trying to take him on with their hands still bound behind their backs and Seventeen rushed his sister, shouting something about sibling rivalry.

"Enough's enough!" Trunks cried out, his hair flashing to blonde. "Break these stupid energy binds! We've proven ourselves to them, we don't have to take this anymore!" With a scream, he wrenched his hands free of the binds and flew out over the river towards the men holding Gohan under the falls.

Piccolo's eyes widened as he roared in pain as Trunks jumped on his back, grabbing hold of his ears, tearing one. He released Gohan, turning to fight the other Saiyan instead.

Tien's grip on Gohan slipped when Piccolo let got and Gohan powered up, his hair turning gold as he too broke the energy binds behind his back. "I've had enough of your shit, old man!" he shouted and slammed his fist into Tien's face. "Come on," he challenged. "I've been waiting to kick your ass for three weeks now."

Sabriena sat back on the beach, laughing her ass off, despite the pain in her head. Some interrogation. This had turned into an all-out brawl. "KICK HIS ASS, GOHAN!" she encouraged as she watched the men fighting in the river. She narrowed her eyes at Goku as he fought off Jenny and Leelee. She got to her feet and powered up, snapping the binds behind her back. "I oughta kick you in the dick for slapping me," she growled at him.

Goku felt lower than dirt. Vegeta hadn't said what it would be like after the training was over. He could say sorry, but would it be enough? He didn't think so. He felt sick to his stomach just thinking about it. He deserved whatever they deemed he deserved. He switched to defensive stance; he wasn't going to throw any more punches against them. He looked over to Vegeta, still fighting off Lindsey and Catie. He wasn't going to back down from them.

Vegeta swung a hard punch to Lindsey's face, splitting her cheek open and knocked her to the ground.

"Bastard!" Catie screamed and powered up, her hair turning green. She'd had enough. She lashed out at Vegeta, smacking his arm with a thorn-studded vine. He came back at her, his hair turning gold and caught her in the chest with an energy blast that sent her spiraling across the yard. Lindsey and Catie got up again, attacking together, using their training to take Vegeta on...

Seventeen had joined the fight in the river after throwing his sister into the freezing water and now he, Gohan and Trunks were overpowering Piccolo and Tien.

Sabriena narrowed her eyes at Goku, his defensive stance... She rushed forward and slapped him square in the face. No, it wasn't enough to probably do more than sting his cheek, but that wasn't the point. "Put your hands on me or my friends again and I'll murder you in your sleep," she spat. She turned and looked out at the fight. They'd proven their point. They weren't going to be broken, not now, not ever. "Enough!" she shouted and her teammates froze. "We've made our point. Come on. We're done." And with that, she linked arms with Jenny and Leelee and marched back up towards the cabin.

Jenny spat out blood on her way up, "forget this fucking shit." She wanted to scream, she wanted to cry. She wanted a hot bath and an all you can eat buffet. "I am not thanking them for this. Fuck this fucking shit. " She turned and shouted over her shoulder, "I'm throwing you off the Lookout if you set foot there tonight!" She was trembling and clung to Leelee and Sabriena for support, feeling them shaking as well.

Down by the river, Goku sat down on the bank, hardly feeling the cold, pulling his knees up to his chest and looking out over the icy water. He'd go back home today, probably to a lumpy couch and something he would have to cook himself. He wondered if Chichi had missed him, if she would just let him hold her and cry.

Gohan didn't even look at his father as he walked by, he was so angry in that moment. He threw his arm around his wife as he caught up to her and leaned heavily on her as she managed to transform, her fire throwing a warmth over him.

Tien hauled himself out of the water and sat next to Goku, shivering from head to toe. "Gods, that was rough," he said thickly. Sabriena would probably leave him after this. And he wouldn't blame her. "I think we went too far."

"No," Vegeta said, smiling in spite of himself as he watched the rest of them head up to the cabin. They were building a fire in the pit there, working together to check each other over, healing each other, trying to make sure they kept each other warm. "Look at them. They're a team now. If they hate us, so be it. But they'll take care of each other no matter what now. Even if we aren't around to save them."

Tien had to admit, there was a marked change about the way they were acting. "So we're done here?" he asked hopefully.

"Not yet," Vegeta answered.

Goku was miserable as it was; he didn't think he could take much more. "What more do you want us to do to them, Vegeta?" he demanded. "They are finished with us! They aren't going to listen to anything else we have to say." He sighed, raking a hand through his hair, taking the cold as his punishment. "We'll be lucky if they even speak to us again after this."

Piccolo snorted and ripped off his ear that was damaged, concentrating for a moment and growing a new one. "What aren't we finished with?"

"Celebrating. They're done with their training here," Vegeta answered. "They've earned a good meal and a night of fun. We'll let them get cleaned up and we'll take them out for the night. My treat. I'd say you've each earned it as well."

Tien cocked an eyebrow; he didn't much fancy going out in the city, but after all this, it might actually be nice.

"Screw you," Eighteen shot at him, shivering in her wet clothes. "I'm done here. They aren't going to want to celebrate with us. You've lost your mind."

"We can't let them leave here angry," Vegeta stated. "That wasn't our purpose here. Now come on. I'll talk to them."

Goku didn't feel like he deserved a night out. He felt lower than dirt. Celebrating what they had just done didn't feel right. "I don't think so, Vegeta. I don't want to celebrate that. It was training. It was worse than training. I know it was needed, but it's not something I want to put on a pedestal and be clapped on the back for. Count me out." He didn't know what the others would think either. The looks of hatred they'd given him that day still fresh in his mind. After all this, did Vegeta really think it would be that easy to go up to them and say great job, how about a drink and a night on the town?

Tien got to his feet and pulled Goku up with him. "Come on," he said, "we might as well hear what Vegeta says to them. We can't just walk away without some sort of... you know... closure." He didn't know what to expect.

They followed Vegeta up to the group that was huddled around the fire. Their angry looks even made Tien falter in his steps, but Vegeta wasn't bothered. He went right over to them and sat down in the circle with them, ignoring their hateful glares. He stared at the fire for a moment, recalling his own training. His had been worse, had lasted for months, not this shortened version he'd given them. But he constantly reminded himself that they were human, mostly, and this had been just as intense for them as it had for him. "I went through the same training as you," he said slowly, still staring into the fire, his voice low, his tone softer than anything he'd used since they'd arrived. "And I remember feeling the same as you do now. I hated my commanding officer. Who did he think he was to put me and my comrades through such torture? It took a while to understand that what he did was for our own betterment. Our hatred for him and the training is what brought us together, taught us to work as a team, to care more about the team as a whole and not just ourselves. Hate me and them all you want, but you know I speak the truth. You're stronger for this and you care more about each other now than you ever did."

kJenny didn't know what to say to that. She looked around at them; Vegeta looked proud at what he did, what he had accomplished. Piccolo looked indifferent as did did Tien, and Eighteen looked livid for being thrown in the river. But Goku - the man looked like a kicked puppy. Hating them wasn't going to do them much good. "I suppose it would be better if we directed our frustrations at the enemy. If they hadn't declared war on us, we wouldn't have needed to go through that," she admitted. She didn't know what to think; she wanted to retaliate. She didn't know what she wanted.

"You're right, Jennifer," Vegeta said, "Hate the enemy for forcing my hand on this. You should be proud of yourselves. There were Saiyans on my planet who couldn't handle it. But you did. Every single one of you. And now I know that I can sleep at night because you can handle yourselves in battle, no matter what they throw at you." He finally looked up at them. "When I completed my training, our commanding officer took us out for a celebratory meal. I'm offering the same to you now. Go home, get cleaned up, and we'll go out. It's on me. Anything you want."

Catie stared hard at him for a minute before she grinned, "Fuckin' A. I'm in."

A smile pulled at the corner of Vegeta's lips and he gave her a gentle shove. "Good girl, Catherine." She'd gotten it. She understood. And she didn't hate him for it.

She shoved back at him, "I knew you still loved us, you sadistic bastard."

Goku couldn't believe his ears at Catie's words and Vegeta's laughter. Was it really that easy? He looked over watching Jenny and the rest of them milling it over in their heads.

She finally shook her head. "Gods I am buying the most expensive item on that fucking menu. And you, green bean. You are giving me a fucking massage when we get home tonight."

"Quit calling me names and I might think about it," he answered, a tiny smile playing across his lips.

Tien dared to look at Sabriena, wanting to go to her, to hold her. But no one knew of their relationship yet and he didn't feel this was a particularly good time to announce it.

She felt his eyes on her and she looked up at him. "You look like shit," she snickered. His nose was swollen and bruised, a bit of blood on his upper lip.

"Language," he warned, but he couldn't stop the smile that worked across his face.

Seventeen looked at the men who'd inflicted so much pain and torture on him for the past six weeks. "Another night with you assholes?" he asked. He shook his head and sighed, "Fine. But there'd better be lots and LOTS of beer involved."

Leelee giggled and laid her head on his arm.

Jenny still wasn't done with Piccolo. "I'll call you whatever I want, you chicken lollipop."

Tien's interest picked up at that. "Someone explain that to me," he demanded. "I keep hearing it. What on earth does it mean?"

Sabriena ducked her head as Lindsey snickered. "What's another name for a chicken?" she asked Tien.

He blinked curiously at her. "A hen? A rooster?"

She shook her head. "Another name for a rooster."

Tien thought about it for a minute. "A cock."

Lindsey nodded. "And now another name for a lollipop."

"A sucker?"

"Put the two together."

Tien spoke slowly as he put the two answers together. "A cock-sucker…" He rounded on Sabriena, "That's what you've been calling me?!"

Sabriena gave a little squeak as her friends doubled over in laughter, her face going red and she ran for the cabin, slamming the door behind her.

"SABRIENA!" he roared.

Lindsey and Gohan exchanged a look and groaned as they got to their feet, going over to Goku. Lindsey looked him up and down once before she crossed her arms. "So, you goin' out with us tonight, Dad?" she asked. She gave him a smile as she said it - he looked guilty and upset with himself. She playfully poked his ribs. "Come on, you know you want to."

"Yeah, come on, Dad," Gohan answered. "You know you can't say no to a good meal."

Goku almost sobbed with relief at their words. "You mean... you guys still want to be around me? Y-you aren't mad? I would be mad. I'm mad at myself, " he grumbled, pulling them both close and burying his face between them, unable to stop himself from shaking.

"I'm a little mad," Gohan admitted. "But you're my dad and I still love you." He hugged his dad back, realizing how hard this had been on him, too. Six weeks of putting on this hard-ass persona had taken a toll on Goku.

"It's okay, Dad," Lindsey said softly, hugging him tight. "Now come on, please go out to eat with us tonight? I wanna hang out with the real you." She pulled back, "But first, I want a shower. And I want you guys to shower. Cause ya'll kinda smell funny."

Gohan threw his head back and laughed. "All right, all right. Let me just find my glasses, cause SOMEONE knocked them off my face," he said, throwing a glance at Piccolo.

"I'm sorry, kiddo," Goku murmured, pulling her in for another hug, needing the reassurance that they didn't hate him.

"Don't be," she said. "We needed this. I understand. I know it was hard on you, too. Now please say you'll go out to eat with us."

He nodded and squeezed her a little tighter before he let her go. He looked at everyone else – Eighteen had already left. Vegeta, Catie, and Trunks were headed back to Capsule Corp, Seventeen and Leelee following them to their own apartment in West City. And Jenny was listing off all the things Piccolo was going to do to make this up to her, including carrying her back to the Lookout.

Gohan came back with his glasses on his dirty face, saying he was ready to go, placing a hand on Goku's shoulder.

"We'll see you in an hour or so, right, Tien?" Goku asked loudly, trying to be heard over Tien's banging on the cabin door.

"Yeah, if I can ever get in my own house," he paused to answer before he turned to the door again, banging his fist rapidly on it. "Sabriena! Open the damn door!"

"LANGUAGE!" she giggled and the door remained firmly shut.

* * *

Author's Note: Fuck this chapter and the ungodly amount of time it took me to edit it.


	22. Kids Say the Darndest Things

Goku was so excited to be home, appearing in the front yard, his only thoughts were to see his wife and son. He opened the door, smiling widely. "Honey! I'm home! Goten! I missed you guys!" he called, closing the door behind him. He went off towards the back of the house, hearing sounds of the laundry being done and he smiled as he saw Chichi, his heart pounding loudly at the sight of his wife. "Hey there, lady."

Chichi jumped at the sound of his voice, spilling the box of laundry detergent all over the floor. "God! You scared me!" she cried, huffing as she looked at the powdered detergent scattered over the tile and grabbed a broom to sweep it up. "So you finally decided to come home, huh?" she asked in a dull tone.

"Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!" Goten shouted, running into the room and leaping into his father's arms. "I missed you soooooooo much!" he cried, wrapping his arms around his father's neck, hugging him for all he was worth.

Goku grinned widely and hugged his son tightly, turning his face into his son's hair and cuddling with him, squeezing him tightly. "Hey there, kiddo! I missed you so much, too. There wasn't a night I didn't go to sleep thinking about you and mommy." He kissed his son over and over before setting him down. "We are going out to eat to celebrate tonight. I want you both to come!" he said, kneeling down and holding the dust pan for Chichi on the floor. He grinned up at Goten, "So how about you go get changed? I'm going to grab a shower and get into some normal clothes."

"Okay!" Goten grinned eagerly and ran down the hall to change his clothes. Momma had let him play outside that day, even though it was cold, and his clothes were rather dirty.

"Goten, you have homework to do, mister!" Chichi called after him, but her words fell on deaf ears. She huffed as she took the dustpan from Goku and carefully poured the detergent back into the box. "So you're coming home to get cleaned up and then you're leaving again?" she asked, her nose wrinkled in disapproval.

Goku smiled at her warmly and stood up, carefully drawing her into his arms, tilting her head back as he kissed her sweetly. "I want you to come with me. All of us go out together." He leaned down, nibbling at her shoulder, "You should join me for my shower. You wouldn't believe how much I've missed you, Chichi."

Chichi squirmed in his grasp, wiggling away from him. "Goku, no," she said, "I had a shower this morning. I don't want to mess up my hair." She turned on the washer and closed the lid, shaking her head. "I don't want to go out tonight. Goten has too much homework to make up because he insisted on playing today and I just didn't feel like arguing with him." She turned to look at her husband again, waving a hand in front of her face. "You need a shower, though. You smell funny from being out there."

Goku chuckled, "Campfire smoke. I think it smells nice, but you are right." He gave her his best puppy dog look "And you don't have to have your hair messed up. I can hold you out of the water if you want," he offered, just in too good of a mood to be put down. "And Goten can work on his homework tomorrow. I really missed you both and I just want to spend tonight with you."

Chichi sighed. He just wouldn't accept no as an answer. "I can't right now, Goku. It's not a good time of the month," she lied. She cringed internally at the look on his face. That puppy dog look was hard for her to say no to for some reason. She hated it when he used that on her. "If Goten waits until tomorrow to do his homework, then he'll be even more behind! Why can't you just stay home tonight?"

Goku frowned and was about to say he didn't mind if it was that time of the month, but Chichi never did like it and he supposed it hurt her even more. "Because we are celebrating with our family... our friends. Gohan would like to see you and I bet Bulma will be there." He said as he moved to take off his uniform, pausing as he thought about burning it, but then again Bulma might need it. He dropped it into the laundry basket instead. "I'm sure Goten has been studying enough; he's probably way ahead. So let's just relax tonight. What good is homework going to do if the war ruins everything?"

"He NEEDS to do his homework so he can get a good job when he grows up, just like Gohan is! And if Gohan wants to see us, he can come here," she stated firmly. "Why is it so hard for you to understand? Just because you don't have a proper education doesn't mean our sons don't need one. Next thing I know, you'll be dragging Goten off to fight these monsters just like you did with poor Gohan!"

Goku laughed warmly, moving to go off to the shower. "Hardly had to drag him. More like I was trying to drag him back in. And Piccolo had a lot more to do with his training than I did." He undid his pants, tossing the belt aside. "You can stay in if you want Chichi, I would rather you came with us, but I understand if you are feeling all icky." He smiled at her one last time before he hurried into the shower, his stomach grumbling. "But it's free food!" he called scrubbing himself down, sighing at the deliciously hot water.

Chichi frowned. Yes, Piccolo certainly had more to do with Gohan's training than anyone else had. The memory still made her furious. That bastard. "We have food here!" she shot back, storming out of the laundry room into the hallway next to the bathroom. "You do what you want, Goku. But I'm staying here!" And with that, she marched off to the kitchen to start fixing dinner for herself and Goten.

Goten crept down the hallway, his clothes changed and his hair brushed, hoping that Momma would let him go with Daddy. It sounded fun to go out to dinner and he wanted to see his brother, too. Maybe he could even talk them into telling him how their training went. He poked his head in the bathroom, speaking quietly, "Daddy, I'm ready to go. Can I still go with you, even though Momma isn't going?"

Goku was drying his hair, already changed into his more familiar orange gi. He felt a million times better. He rubbed his hair a few more times before hanging it back up to dry and grinned at Goten, "Of course you can kiddo!" He picked up his son, cuddling him. "Look at you all dressed and ready to go! We have to! I'll hear it from your mother, but I think this is worth it." He walked back out into the hallway, giggling with Goten before he called out to Chichi, pressing two fingers to his forehead. "Okay bye, Chichi! Goten and I are heading out! We'll see you later!" He vanished before he could hear her, appearing outside Gohan's house.

* * *

Vegeta sighed as they entered the restaurant Catie and Trunks had insisted on going to. It was louder than Vegeta had been thinking about, but he'd promised to take everyone wherever they wanted to go.

Everyone had taken a couple hours to go home and get cleaned up and he had to admit, he felt much better after a hot shower (with Bulma of course) and to be back in his dark jeans and red shirt again. They were seated at a large round table, everyone looking much more at ease, even if they were a bit beat up and bruised from the brawl that afternoon.

"Can I get you anything to drink?" the waitress asked with a friendly smile.

"BEER!" Seventeen cried out, "And lots of it!"

"Hmph, and people called ME the alcoholic," Lindsey muttered under her breath.

Goku cuddled with Goten, sneaking him out of the house when Chichi wasn't looking, he would hear it later, but he had been away far too long and couldn't bear another moment away from him. He still wished Chichi had agreed to come along. He ordered a giant sundae with the works for his son and got a root beer float for himself, holding his son in his lap, sharing bites with him, sitting next to Tien and Sabriena.

Jenny sighed, falling against her father's shoulder. "Some boot camp, Dad. But you were right... we needed it," she finally admitted.

"About time you came around," he smirked, reaching for the beer the waitress set in front of him. He had to admit, he was slightly worried that she would be distant from him for quite some time. She had been really put out with him after the interrogation. He snickered as he watched Goten devouring the ice cream in front of him, getting it all over his face as he begged Goku and Gohan for details about their training.

Gohan smoothed it over, trying to make it sound more exciting and fun than it actually had been.

"Oh my god, booze," Lindsey whined longingly, but cringed at the look her husband gave her. She perked up as their food was brought out, grabbing up some of the greasy fries and popping them in her mouth. "Here's to my pants NOT fitting again..."

Jenny chuckled, watching Lindsey and Goten both. Goten was adorable, with the sticky sweet substance over his face, Goku happily wiping it away, cuddling with his son every chance he got. Goten hugging him back as if he believed he would never see his father again.

"Yeah, well I'm sure you understand. Having a family member stab you in the back will put anyone in a sour mood," Jenny muttered.

Vegeta feigned being hurt. "Stab you in the back?" he asked. "I'm sure you would have, if you'd had a knife on you." He was in an exceptionally good mood, especially now that the tension had faded around them.

Sabriena tried not to roll her eyes at Goten as he asked for seconds and she reached under the table, slipping her hand into Tien's. She wagged her eyebrows at him and leaned closer, asking softly, "So you gonna dance with me after we eat?" She gave a pointed glance at the dance floor and laughed when he shook his head. "You're no fun at all."

Jenny gave Tien a skeptical look. "Come on, give her a dance, I think she's earned as much." She smiled over at her husband knowingly. He knew what he had to do and dancing with her in public was the least of his worries.

Tien was relieved to have Sabriena's hand in his under the table. But he didn't care how angry she got, he was NOT going on that dance floor.

Goku chuckled and ordered a second sundae for his kid. "Remember to save room for the appetizer and main course Goten." He buried his face in Goten's hair, he couldn't remember a time when he had been happier, now that the training was done and no one seemed to be angry with him. "Did you do okay with your mother while I was gone?"

Goten tensed, but nodded his head. "Fine," he answered. In truth, his mother had barely spoken to him while his daddy was gone. She seemed to be on the phone a lot, using words he didn't understand like "custody" and "alimony" and only spoke to him when she was yelling at him to do his homework. Bulma had shown up and taken him to Capsule Corp for a good part of the time while Goku was gone. He slowed his eating and dropped the spoon into the ice cream, turning suddenly to wrap his arms around his daddy's neck, hiding his face. "I missed you!"

Goku smiled and hugged his son back tightly, burying his face into his sons hair, whispering in his ear, "I missed you too kiddo... so much. It hurt me every day to wake up and not see you," he said fiercely, and it was the truth. "Daddy wouldn't know what to do without you."

Jenny smiled at the exchange, cuddling around her father, whom didn't seem to mind at the moment, she watched the other couples, Seventeen and Leelee seemed wrapped up with each other, Lindsey and Gohan were happy to be together, Catie and Trunks were lost in a world of their own. She looked over to Piccolo, grasping his hand, giving it a squeeze. Bulma was still watching Alice, Paige and Phoenix for the time being. Jenny couldn't wait to go get her daughters.

The evening went on pleasantly, everyone joking and having a good time, some of them getting up and going to the dance floor. Tien snickered at Piccolo as Jenny dragged him out there to dance. Now that was something he thought he'd never see.

"Tiiiiiiiennnn," Sabriena whined.

He shook his head. "Nope."

She scowled at him, "Fine. I'll make Goku take me dancing instead."

Goku laughed, "Only if Tien watches Goten!" He chuckled to himself as his son eagerly crawled into Tien's lap and continued feasting on the plate of fried fish Goku had gotten for them. Goku looked to Sabriena and offered his hand. "Alright then, shall we?" he asked, carefully pulling her to the dance floor.

Sabriena gave an excited little squeak and took Goku's hand, letting him lead her out on the floor. "Man, I'm glad that's over," she sighed as she let him sway her to the music. "It seemed like it would never end." She didn't like being so distant from Tien and she missed the happy, silly Goku she was used to spending time with. "I like you much better as Goku my friend instead of Goku the drill sergeant."

Goku chuckled and pulled her closer as he danced her around the floor, dodging Piccolo and the others as they danced. He hadn't forgotten his lessons from that night he romanced Chichi. "Sabriena," he purred almost contentedly, "I am so happy you don't hate us. I don't think I could stand it if you did."

"Nah, I could never hate you guys," Sabriena smiled. She tilted her head to the side, "Well, maybe just a little... but this makes up for it."

Goten finished the plates of fried fish his father had gotten and looked longingly at the half eaten steak Tien had, looking up at him from his spot in the man's lap. "Um... Mister Tien... could I... I mean if you're finished..." he asked hesitantly.

Tien laughed and nodded at Goten. Like father, like son. "Dig in, kiddo," he grinned, pulling the plate closer. He ruffled Goten's hair and turned in his chair to look at Sabriena and Goku dancing. He was impressed that Goku knew how to dance so well. He wondered what they were saying as they danced. At least Goku had gotten him off the hook.

Goten chewed happily on the steak, watching as Piccolo came back to sit at the table, having managed to slip away from the dance floor for a minute.

"Having fun?" Vegeta smirked, leaning back in his chair. He chuckled at the dark look the Namek gave him.

Goten looked up at Tien again. "What does alimony mean?" he asked out of nowhere.

Tien gave a jump and Vegeta sat up straight, a look of shock being exchanged among the three men at the table.

Goten shrank back against Tien, thinking he had asked something wrong...it was obviously a word only grown-ups used. "I mean... I just... heard mommy talking about it on the phone. Is it a bad word?"

Tien didn't know what to say. How do you explain alimony to a little kid? And especially what that implied for his parents. He licked his lips nervously, looking to Vegeta and Piccolo for help.

"It's not a bad word," Vegeta answered, forcing himself to keep his composure. "It... It's a type of payment. You know, a bill grownups have to pay." He dug in his pocket and pulled out a few quarters. "Here, kid, why don't you go play one of those video games over there?" he suggested, offering the coins to Goten.

Goten's eyes lit up and he snatched the quarters from Vegeta, eagerly running off to play a game.

Piccolo closed his eyes as the little kid ran off before he looked over at Goku dancing with Sabriena, his eyes carefree, the way he whirled her around. "So. Chichi has been busy."

"Apparently so," Vegeta agreed, feeling the anger bubbling up inside him. How could she do such a thing to her mate? It was nearly Christmas and with the war coming... Vegeta's heart nearly stopped. "No one breathes a word about this to Kakarot. Or anyone else for that matter."

"What?" Tien cried. "You can't expect us to keep something like this from him!"

Vegeta leaned forward, fixing Tien with a fierce stare. "Do you want him going in to battle with that as a distraction on his mind?!" he demanded.

"W-Well, no," Tien stammered. "But he has a right to know, doesn't he? Wouldn't you want to know if Bulma was doing that to you?" He turned to the Namek, "Piccolo! Wouldn't you want to know if Jenny was planning something like that?"

Piccolo growled, looking At Tien, "And what do you think bringing me into this is going to change? Yeah, I would want to know if my wife was planning on something like that. But she isn't Chichi; she wouldn't hide something like this as big as divorce from me. There's a difference. Goku thinks everything is perfectly fine. Chichi sees differently."

"We don't know that she's actually going to do it," Vegeta added. "She could've just been mad because Kakarot was out training with us. There's still time for him to smooth things over. No need to open that can of worms if it doesn't need opening."

Tien sat back with a sigh, frowning as he looked at Goku. "Yeah, you're right," he agreed. "I sure don't want to be the one to tell him."

"Good," Vegeta said with a nod, sitting back in his own chair. "And not a word of this to anyone else. Agreed?"

Piccolo huffed, crossing his arms. It didn't seem right to keep this from Goku, but Vegeta had a point. He looked over at Goku again, the slow song that was playing wasn't terrible on his ears, and Goku looked quite content out there, talking excitedly to Sabriena about his dance lessons with Lindsey. He sighed, "Fine. Not a word." He closed his mouth as Jenny came back to the booth, squeezing in between her husband and her father.

It didn't set well with Tien to keep this from Goku, but maybe Vegeta was right. Chichi could've just been mad or, heck, she could've been gossiping about someone else for all they knew. It wasn't their business.

Vegeta rested his arm on the back of the booth behind Jenny, looking at her with amusement. "There's trouble," he teased. "You come to steal the Namek away again?" He was barely able to keep the laughter out of his voice at Piccolo's expression.

Jenny grinned wickedly, giving her husband a wink before she put on her best puppy-dog face."Actually, Dad, I was hoping to steal you away for a little bit. Surely you know how to dance."

Piccolo threw his head back and laughed, "Brilliant idea, take Vegeta dancing!"

Vegeta shot Piccolo a cool smile. "Of course I know how to dance," he answered, getting to his feet and leading Jenny back onto the dance floor.

"Oh, this I gotta see," Tien chuckled, turning around in his chair to watch.

Vegeta gave a slight bow before he took Jenny's hand, leading her around the dance floor. He nearly laughed as he caught sight of Piccolo's expression. "Everyone seems to forget that I am the Prince of Saiyans," he chuckled in amusement. "Do they not expect royalty to know how to dance?"

Jenny smiled, feeling giddy and light hearted, "I am honored at the privilege to dance with you then. I had always wondered..." She was more than happy, since she and Piccolo didn't have a traditional wedding, she never got to have a father daughter dance. Of course, she didn't have a father worth dancing with at that time.

Piccolo shook his head. "Royalty my ass," he chuckled, before he sobered up as Goku walked back to the table with Sabriena in tow.

"Hah! Wow! Even Vegeta's out there dancing! " Goku exclaimed.

"Yeah, and being rather smug about it," Tien said in a somewhat disappointed voice as he turned back to the table. He'd been hoping to see Vegeta make a fool of himself for once, but noooo. Not the Prince of Saiyans. Now there was no way Tien was getting out there on that dance floor with Sabriena.

Sabriena leaned over the table and grabbed the beer Tien had been sipping on and took a big drink. "Ahhh," she sighed, smacking her lips before she looked over at Jenny and Vegeta. "Never would've guessed he knows how to dance. Then again, you surprised me too," she grinned at Goku. "Smooth moves, sexy," she teased.

Goku blushed and rubbed the back of his head. "Thanks! I learned from the best," he said, looking proudly over at his daughter before he sat down, sighing happily.

Goten came running back over, carrying a stuffed toy, "Daddy! I got the high score on that game over there!" He pointed at the racing game in the corner, "And I won this for you!" He offered the stuffed bear.

Goku laughed and hugged him close, "You did?! Thank you! This is wonderful!" He settled the kid in his lap and flagged down the waitress, "Can we get some more loaded cheese fries please?"

Sabriena chuckled to herself and sat down between Tien and Goku. "Yessss," she grinned wickedly. "Run Vegeta's tab up. That's what he gets for that god-awful boot camp." She looked at the waitress. "Bring me something fruity to drink. And make it expensive."

Tien laughed and shook his head. He had to admit, aside from the little conversation with Goten, this was pretty fun.

Sabriena pushed his beer towards him. "DRINK. Maybe you'll loosen up enough to get on that dance floor."

"Not gonna happen," Tien stated firmly, but took a big swig anyway.

Sabriena sighed. "You're no fun, Mr. Shinhan."

Goten looked up at Sabriena, his eyes big. "I'll dance with you if he won't!" he offered.

Goku chuckled, "Where did you learn how to dance? Did Lindsey teach you too?" He snuggled into Goten's hair before the fries arrived and he grinned, his stomach growling as if he hadn't had a thing to eat all night. "Oh man! Those look great! Thank you, miss!"

"Pshhhhh," Sabriena scoffed. "I taught that bitch how to dance."

"Language," Tien warned.

She narrowed her eyes at him and stole one of the fries from Goku before he and Goten devoured it.

"Seriously," he said, "Goten's right there. Watch your mouth."

"Sorry," she muttered towards the kid. He really wanted to dance with her? Oh gods, please, no. "If you wanna dance, go cut in on your brother, kiddo," she said, jerking her thumb over her shoulder at Gohan before she took her drink from the waitress and fished out the toothpick-skewered olives.

Goten grinned and wiggled out of his father's lap and hurried over to the dance floor.

Goku laughed and sighed happily as he finished off the fries, "I don't know about you guys, but I am glad the training is over. I couldn't stand it and I'm certainly happy to be back where it's warmer. Although, I sure am going to miss sleeping with you, Tien!"

Sabriena choked on her drink and had to grab a napkin to mop at the bit that spilled onto her chest. She didn't know why that had surprised her so, perhaps it was the unexpected wording of it, but she had just never imagined Tien sharing the bed with anyone but her. "Oh, yeah, you two got to sleep in the nice warm bed while I slept outside on the cold hard ground!" she grumbled.

Tien chuckled. "Yeah, but I'm not going to miss his freezing cold feet." S

abriena blinked at Goku. "Oooo! You used Tien for a heater, too, huh?"

Goku chuckled, "Well yeah! He's hot in that bed, my feet appreciated it!"

Piccolo rolled his eyes dragging a hand down his face, Goku was far too innocent for his own good.

"Ohhhh, you have no idea," Sabriena purred, wagging her eyebrows at Goku as Tien's face went ten different shades of red. "So, tell me, Tien," she continued, an amused look on her face. "Just how hot did it get in bed with Goku?"

Tien thought he could've died from embarrassment, the innuendo at the table becoming way too much for him. He grabbed his beer and downed it, staring at the empty mug for just a second before he turned to her. "I think I will dance with you," he finally said and grabbed her hand, pulling her quickly away from the table before the conversation could go any further.

Goku laughed as Tien hauled Sabriena out onto the dance floor, watching them dance a moment.

Piccolo just watched Goku, seriously wondering if he was really letting all those comments go over his head like that, even after weeks of brutal training, he was still so carefree. He wasn't happy about keeping what Goten had said from Goku, but they couldn't afford to have Goku stressed out and worried about that before they went into battle. He tried to convince himself that Chichi wouldn't really do it, that she had just been venting, blowing off steam like women were prone to doing. It wasn't a betrayal of trust. It wasn't. It was looking out for them all as a whole, which is what they had just spent six weeks working on. He sighed and pulled Jenny closer to his side as he wondered if it would pay off in the end.

* * *

Author's Note: Please review! Please?! PRETTY PLEASE?! *insert puppy-dog-look here*


	23. Stay With Me

"I can't believe it's so cold out," Sabriena said, staring out the window of the cabin. It was early December and a cold front of air had dropped the temperature at the cabin to well below freezing. She was grateful that the training she'd gone through was over now. She couldn't imagine being out in this weather.

Tien was trying to get a fire going to keep them warm, but it was so cold, it didn't seem to help a whole lot.

"We need soup for supper," Sabriena said, walking over to stand behind him and resting her hands on his shoulders as he knelt in front of the fireplace. "I'll run up to the spring to get some water." She kissed his cheek and wrapped her arms around his shoulders for a minute, not really wanting to head outside into the biting-cold wind.

Tien leaned back against her and gently pulled her arms tighter around him. "You want me to come with you? Or I should do it?" he offered. He had been busy, tending more furs to make some more covers for them at night, since it had been extremely cold. He vaguely wondered if the Atlantians had anything to do with it. The cold snap had come on so suddenly, the temperature plunging over a matter of only a couple days. He was used to it being cold there, but this had to be record-setting.

"No, baby, I got it," she said, grabbing his chin and turning his face so that she could kiss him again. She didn't think she'd ever get over the thrill that shot down her spine every time their lips met. She threw on her coat as she headed outside, the wind whipping her hair around her face. She grabbed up a bucket and hurried through the snow up to the top of the waterfall to the spring for the cleanest water. The river water was fine for washing, but for drinking and eating, she liked to get the water straight from the spring.

"Ah hell," she sighed when she reached the top of the little hill. The spring was nearly frozen over. She sighed and set down her bucket, testing the ice with her shoe. It felt solid. "Damn it," she sighed again; she'd been hoping to be able to crack it easily with her shoe. Without thinking Sabriena stomped on the ice to break it, but she slammed her foot down a little too hard and slipped as the ice broke away and fell into the spring. She screamed as she fell through the ice, the water stabbing her all over, accidentally sucking water down her throat.

She came up, choking and gasping for air as the wind hit her face again. Oh gods, she'd never felt a pain like that before. Splashing for the bank, she felt like she was being pulled back under the water with the heavy weight of her wet clothing. Oh gods, she had to get out of the spring. She crawled up the bank, her hands shaking as she tried to grab onto the ice-slicked vegetation that grew there, but her grip slipped and she fell back into the water again.

Her lungs were burning with the effort of trying to suck in air, the icy water making them sting and ache. She had to get back to the cabin. Staying out here in this cold could mean death within minutes. She dug her fingers into the frozen earth like claws, using every ounce of her strength to crawl out of the spring.

She hauled herself out of the water, her bucket forgotten, and pushed herself to her feet. Hacking and coughing, she started walking for the cabin. She shivered violently as she willed her legs to move, step after agonizing step. Her fingers stung in the wind, her face, her eyes... _'I'm going to freeze to death,_' she thought as it became harder and harder to move. It seemed as if the cabin was a million miles away. She fell to the ground, collapsing into the snow, a small whine escaping as she tried to get her limbs to cooperate. "Tien," she gasped, even though she knew he couldn't hear her. She was so close to the cabin, and yet she knew she couldn't make it. She tried to drag herself through the snow, desperate to get to Tien. If she could just make it to him, everything would be okay.

Her body wouldn't move. She felt stiff, her every nerve screaming from the cold. Of all the rotten ways to die. A sob wrenched its way from her throat at the thought. She didn't want to leave Tien. Not now. Not after all they'd been through together, now that they were so happy.

'_What if I don't see Tien again?' _she thought miserably to herself, tears leaking from her eyes and freezing on her cheeks. _'What if I die here? There's so much I want to say to him. I… just want to say… I love you… one last time…'_

"Tien," she whispered, her lips barely able to move, a frost forming over them. "I'm… sorry."

* * *

Tien froze from his work, standing up and turning towards the door, something was wrong. He didn't know how he knew, but he could just tell. Something terrible had happened. Sabriena was taking far too long to return from the spring. "Sabriena," he gasped and ran for the door, yanking it open, hissing as the cold air wrapped around him.

He ran out into the yard, scanning his eyes around, looking for her. The moonlight reflected off the snow, making everything outside appear brighter than it should have been. Where was she? His eyes widened in horror as he saw her, more blue than anything, laying on the he ground. He rushed out into the cold and dropped to his knees next to her, looking her over. A thin sheen of frost clung to her skin, making it an icy blue-white, her lips a dark blue as she trembled in the snow. "No," he breathed, rushing to her side. "Oh, baby, no."

Sabriena's heart leapt at the sight of him. "Tien," she whispered, reaching a shaking hand up for him.

He scooped her up, her body was ice against his chest, even through his shirts. "Oh gods, Sabriena, hang on, just hang on. Don't you dare die on me!" He ran back into the cabin, slamming the door behind him and carried her over to the fire, wrapping her in his arms. She was soaked to the bone. "We have to get these clothes off of you," he said, his voice near panicked as he began to rip her clothes, not wanting to make her move more than she had to. "How did this happen?"

Sabriena's teeth were chattering as he started tearing her clothes off. Tears stung her eyes, her body shivering violently. "I s-s-slipped..." she stammered, wavering on her feet, trying not to fall over on him. "F-fell in the sp-sp-spring." She'd never felt so cold in her life. She could feel the heat of the fire, but it was making her skin sting as her body started to thaw. Oh, this was torture.

Tien winced as he saw the pain on her face and he could have smacked himself, hypothermia required a gradual return to heat, not direct fire. He pulled her away from the fire to the furs just a little way in front of it. "You're alright, girl. You're going to be alright, I want you to stay awake, baby."

He was furious with himself for letting her go get the water. He should've been the one to do it. He never should have sent her out on the coldest night of the year. He hastily brushed angry tears from his eyes with his thumb. He carefully moved her under the furs, brushing her hair out of her face. "Stay with me."

Sabriena nodded, feeling a little better already, just knowing that Tien was taking care of her. She wished her body didn't feel so stiff - it scared her. She blinked at the fire, her body shaking, jerking, trying to warm itself. "T-Tien," she said in a strained voice. "I l-love you." She had to say it, just one more time if she somehow didn't pull out of this. "I love you," she whispered again, a tear slipping from her eye.

Tien felt more tears starting to gather in his eyes and he leaned down and kissed her cheeks. They were so cold. "I love you to baby. Don't you dare leave me. Don't. I don't want to live without you." He cursed and hurriedly tugged off his own clothes until he was naked and crawled under the furs with her, pulling her into his arms. Her body was like ice against him and he nearly hissed at the discomfort. He couldn't imagine what she was feeling in that moment. "Don't leave me," he whispered, his voice pleading.

Sabriena gave a sigh as his warm body pressed up against her. "Not... planning... on it," she answered. She wrapped her arms around his, pressing her back against his chest, taking comfort in his warmth and his strong presence. Oh, if she died, she would die happy in his arms. "You... are the best thing... that ever... happened... to me," she managed to say through chattering teeth.

Tien nuzzled her cheek and kissed her. "You are the same to me" he said quietly, "I'm not the cranky old man who lives like a hermit in the woods anymore because of you. I didn't think I'd ever love again." He looked up at the ceiling, praying that she wouldn't leave him. "Just stay awake, baby..." He let his hands drift over her cold skin, the hard nipples, the cold flat plans of her stomach.

Sabriena closed her eyes at his touch. "You're still a cranky... old man," she chattered. She managed a small smile for him, a bit of the cold starting to ebb away as he held her. "So... this means I get a day off from training, right, Mr. Shinhan?" She snuggled into his arms, starting to feel sleepy. "Baby, I'm getting tired," she whispered.

Tien hugged her tightly, turning her face to his, looking at her seriously, "Don't sleep just yet, baby. Stay awake a little bit longer. Then I'll make us some hot soup. That'll help warm you up."

Tien felt so warm against her as he held her tightly, his strong hands gently rubbing at her skin, trying to warm her without jarring her too much. She snickered, the movement making her hurt, but she couldn't help herself. "If this is w-what happens, m-m-maybe I should f-fall in the river m-more often," she joked.

"Don't joke like that," he scolded. "I'll hold you like this any time you want. You know that."

"Oh, lighten up, Mr. Shinhan," she answered quietly.

Tien propped himself up on his elbow to look down at her better. He gently grasped her chin in his hand, turning her face towards him. "One of these days, I'm going to make you Mrs. Shinhan. You know that, right?" he said, his eyes intense, yet with that same warmth they always held for her.

Sabriena narrowed her eyes slightly, her heart fluttering in her chest, butterflies dancing in her stomach. "Tien," she breathed, her head swimming. "You mean that?" Was that a proposal? It had to be the most romantic thing she'd ever heard him say. A smile split her lips, even as she continued to shiver.

He smiled at her, kissing her cold lips gently before he pulled back and leaned his forehead against hers. "I mean it. More than I have ever meant anything," he promised, feeling his cheeks blush, "that is, if you want this old man for your husband." His heart was hammering away in his chest. Oh gods... he wanted her to say yes. He wanted her to say it, even though long ago he had given up on the thought of marriage. And what would happen if she did say yes? What kind of big wedding would she want? "I know I don't have much, what you see is what you get. But I promise, I will love you with everything that I am for the rest of my life. Please, let me love you like that."

Sabriena turned in his arms so that they were chest to chest and she stared into his eyes. She'd never much thought about marriage, although she had occasionally thought about what sort of a wedding she would have if she ever did get married. She always pictured a big white gown, ice sculptures, the whole nine yards. But now, none of that mattered. All she wanted was him. She didn't even care if he gave her a ring or not. All she wanted was to wake up next to him every single day of her life. "Yes," she whispered, reaching up with cold hands to cup his face. "Tien, yes, I want you for my husband."

Tien felt his heart thudding in his chest, soaring with his happiness at her answer. He leaned down and caught her lips in a deep, passionate kiss, slipping his tongue inside of her cool mouth. He pulled back, smiling at her like a fool. "Okay then... wow..." he breathed. He hadn't meant to propose like this, he hadn't thought about it much, really, but he was happy now that he'd done it. He hugged her closer, still not happy at how cool her body was.

She gave a small giggle at his words. Wow? That was it? She smiled and nuzzled into his chest, breathing in the familiar scent of his skin. Even though he was a man of few words, she could tell by his kiss, his smile, how happy he was in that moment. "I don't need anything fancy," she whispered. "All I need is you." She could feel herself relaxing in his embrace, his warmth seeping into her very soul. There was an excitement bubbling up inside her that had nothing to do with a wedding and everything to do with being this man's wife. "You have no idea how happy I am with you."

He smiled against her hair, kissing the top of her head. "Didn't think you could stand me at first, but you transformed into the most beautiful woman on the face of the planet. Not because of what you look like, but because of you... What's in here." He placed his hand over her heart, feeling it beating against his palm.

Sabriena rubbed her nose against his, staring into his eyes. "I know we might not always agree on everything and I know I'm still hard to deal with sometimes, but I promise no matter what happens, we will make it work. I promise to be a good wife to you."

"And I promise to be a good husband," he murmured back, holding her as close as possible as the chill finally started to work its way out of her body.


	24. Appreciation

Goku sat bolt upright on the couch, sweating and shaking, shouting out in his sleep so loud he woke himself. A dream? Another damn nightmare. Again. He'd hoped that after the training was over that he'd be able to sleep without having these horrible dreams, but that wasn't the case. Now that he was home, they seemed to be plaguing him worse than ever.

He punched the flat pillow into a more comfortable position and laid back on the lumpy couch, staring up at the ceiling. He just wanted one good night's sleep. He hadn't slept well since he'd returned from the cabin. Chichi had banished him from the bedroom, even going so far as to lock the door at night. She was furious with him for being gone so long and for sneaking Goten out of the house against her wishes.

He kept trying to talk to her about his dreams, but every time he brought it up, she would just sneer at him and tell him to get over it. He just wanted someone to talk to about these nightmares. Someone who wouldn't judge him, who might help him figure out what they meant. But at the same time, he didn't want to worry his friends, didn't want them to think he was cracking up or that the pressure of the coming war was too much for him to handle.

Goku looked around, he looked at the dark living room, that small cramped couch and he sighed. He knew he wouldn't be able to get back to sleep. Goten was at Capsule Corp, spending the night with little Trunks. He blinked, rubbing at his eyes. Gods, would the nightmares ever end? He wanted some peace; he wanted some clarity. He remembered Lindsey's grandmother. She did say he was always welcome... He bit his lip, thinking it over. Middle of the night here probably meant that it was in the early afternoon for her back in America.

He made up his mind and dressed quickly, pulling on his boots. Hopefully Grandma Arthusia would be able to help him with this.

He closed his eyes, picturing her in his mind, pressing two fingers to his forehead, and vanishing. Bright light blinded him the next moment and the cold sea breeze wrapped around him. He looked around, he was standing in the yard of some huge, old Victorian house, his boots crunching in the snow. He should have brought his coat.

Grandma Arthusia looked up from the book she was reading and smiled at the man who had suddenly appeared in her yard. She set her book on the table and got to her feet, hurrying to the front door and throwing it open to him. "Goku! It's so good to see you, dear!" She wrapped him in a hug, but stepped back a moment later. She could feel the worry, the fear, radiating off of him. He felt tired, worn down. She pressed her lips to a hard line and took his hand in hers, leading him into the house. She sat down in her chair, tugging him to sit in front of her. "Tell me what's wrong."

Goku hugged her back and let himself be led into the blissfully warm house. He sat down on the carpet in front of her chair, feeling better already. He looked up at her and suddenly had the feeling as if he was young... a little kid. He scrubbed at his face. "I can't sleep... I ..." He felt a hot blush bloom across his cheeks and he looked away. If Chichi though it was silly, maybe it really was silly, but he spoke it any way. "I keep having nightmares. I see someone who looks like me, but not me. And others like me, murdering... slaughtering hundreds... thousands." He rubbed at his eyes. "I'm afraid it's a sign that maybe I'm about to do something that I'm going to regret or something is going to happen in the war that I can't stop or happens because of what I do. I don't want to fall under another spell and be controlled." He looked at her, eyes pleading for her to understand.

Grandma studied him for a moment. This was not the hopelessly optimistic man she'd come to know. "I haven't known you for very long, but I know what sort of man you are. You aren't capable of that kind of behavior. So you need to stop worrying about that." A fierce look came into her eyes. "You're not as easily deceived as people think. There may be a naivety about you, and I say that in the most endearing way possible, but you are not stupid, Goku. These people who are planning this war, they may think they can force your hand or manipulate you into making a mistake. But you're far too clever for that when it comes to fighting and you know it. And if anyone can stop them, it'll be you. You are the rallying point for your family. We discussed this before."

A small smile touched his lips as he looked back up at her. "I know. It's just that..." He stopped himself. He shouldn't speak ill of Chichi, but when he was around her, he just started doubting himself, the best he did was never good enough. She didn't want to hear his thoughts, his dreams, his concerns, writing them off as terrible subjects. He sighed, stifling a yawn. He felt his head grow heavy and without much thought, he leaned down, resting his head in her lap, his cheek against her thigh as he sighed again. "I don't want to worry any of the others, but Chichi wouldn't listen to me either," he sighed, breathing in the fragrance of cloves and ashes. "I just don't know what I'm supposed to do."

A slight frown crossed Grandma's face as she gently ran her fingers through his spiky black hair, just as she did for Jenny when she was feeling down. She could feel his head growing heavy in her lap as she stroked his hair. "You are supposed to do exactly what you've always done. You're supposed to keep preparing for this threat. You are the most talented fighter out of all your friends, even more so than that prince who's so proud of himself." She stopped and smirked, "Not to speak ill of your friend, of course. But you are the best and he knows it, whether he'll admit it or not." She paused to light one of her cigarettes, letting the smoke drift from her mouth, hanging heavy on the air. She smiled as she listened to him inhale deeply through his nose. "They cannot win this war without you, Goku. Had it not been for your special technique, they wouldn't have won the last one. And I daresay, this one sounds like it's going to be far worse." She continued to smoke, letting her free hand drift through his hair again.

Goku felt his eyes growing heavy, listening to her words, the scent of cloves curling around him, her fingers through his hair. He couldn't stop the gentle purr that escaped his throat as she did. It had been ages... AGES... since someone had really sat down and listened to him, held him, comforted him for once, instead of the other way around. He spoke around the yawn that claimed him once more, "I just don't want to put anyone in harm's way if I can stop it. I know everyone needs me and depends on me in battle. It's about the only thing I'm good at," he said sadly, "And if I can't even to do that right, then I don't have a place."

"Now you stop that talk right now," Grandma scolded. "You have a place. Do you have any idea how lost the rest of them would be without you? I know it wears on you, darling. It's hard to be the person who gives and gives and never seems to receive. It's hard to be the one everyone comes to, yet you have no one to turn to when you need help. No wonder you're so exhausted." Grandma stopped playing with his hair and took his chin in her hand, turning him to face her. "What you need is a few hours of peaceful sleep and a hot meal. Come with me." She stood and offered him her hand, a kind light in her eyes.

"Oh, you don't have to do that..." he protested, but he found himself taking her hand anyway and let himself be coaxed into standing up. "Sleep sounds great and I could never turn down a hot meal." He smiled at her warmly. He liked it there. He felt safe and though it may be silly, it was nice, just once, to have someone looking out for him. He briefly wondered if it made him selfish for thinking such a thing. Chichi said she did things for him that he didn't appreciate, otherwise he'd come home to hot meals instead of the cold leftover he often did, or none at all. With the war fast approaching, he was usually left without any food, as he'd come home in the evenings with Chichi shrugging her shoulders, saying she hadn't been sure if he was coming home or not.

"Thank you," he blurted out, his face turning red, but he wanted her to know that he appreciated what she was doing. "Thank you for listening to me. I didn't mean to come here unannounced. I just, you know, didn't expect all of this... So, thank you."

"You're quite welcome," Grandma answered, leading him through the house. The house was huge - a big, light yellow kitchen with a long, dark wood table. A sitting room with ornate furniture and scrolling wall paper. The stairs wound up and up until they reached a hallway and Grandma pushed open a heavy, dark oak door to a bedroom. It wasn't until they were inside that she released his hand and went to the big, squashy bed and turned back the comforter for him. She crossed to the window, preparing to draw the curtains but paused and smiled. "Goku, come here," she said. She waited until he was standing beside her and she showed him the hoop hanging in the window. "It's a dreamcatcher," she explained, "I don't know if you have these in Japan. But Native Americans believe that they filter out the bad dreams and only let the good ones through." She smiled at him, "You go on and get some rest. You'll have no nightmares here." She pulled the curtains shut, throwing the room into semi-darkness before she crossed the room to the bed again, fluffing the pillow. "Hope you don't mind the scent of lavender, but it should help you relax."

Goku had stared at the ornate little woven circlet, beautiful elegant feathers hanging from long strands of soft leather. He couldn't help but smile sleepily at that. "I can't remember the last time I didn't have a nightmare about this war." He shook his head and turned back to the bed. He could already smell the lavender rising up from the pillow. it reminded him of a warm summer's night, the ground still warm from a hot day in the sun, the smell of an herb garden nearby. It was a warm scent, heady, fragrant and soothing. He rubbed at his eyes, seeing Arthusia fluffing the pillow as he sat down on the edge of the bed. He knew he should feel out of place here. That Chichi would call him rude for just showing up at someone's house and then sleeping in a bed that wasn't his own, but he pushed her from his mind. The bed was soft and very comfy, squishy in a way that seemed to pull him down into the safety of it. It was warm, safe and protected. It nearly brought tears to his eyes as they started to droop. "Thank you, " he murmured. A longing hit him then; a deep ache settled into his chest. What he wouldn't give to have something like this in his life every day.

"Shhhh," Grandma soothed and pulled the comforter up over his shoulder. Her heart ached for this man. She knew what was coming for him, she just didn't know when or how. "You're not being rude. I'm glad you came here. Everything is going to be okay, dear," she assured him in hushed tones. She pressed a kiss to his temple and tucked the blankets around him a little tighter. "I'll wake you up in a few hours. You get some rest." She ran her fingers through his hair once more, then quietly left the room, closing the door softly behind her.

Grandma leaned against the door for a moment, listening to the soft sobs, wondering how much this man had to endure. So many relied upon him. Indeed, the entire human race relied on him whether they realized it or not. He quite literally had the emotional weight of the world on his shoulders. Grandma waited until the sniffles turned into light snores before she made her way back down to her kitchen. She clicked on her music – not the tribal drums she'd played at the Beltane festival, but soft, Celtic music mixed with sounds from nature. It was relaxing, calming, soothing her mind and her heart as she set to work. The first order of business was to get a good, hearty meal in that man. What better way to soothe a heart, especially a Saiyan heart, than with comfort food?

The recipe came to her easily – it was one she used often when someone's heart was aching. Italian sausage, onions, kale, garlic, bacon, potatoes, heavy cream… Grandma had to fight hard not to think angrily at Goku's family for putting so much pressure on him, even if they didn't realize it. No, that was not the mindset she needed while preparing this meal for him.

She went out into the yard, stepping into the circle of stones she had set up near the willow tree, overlooking the ocean. This was her sacred space. A worn altar of stone was there with multi-colored wax drippings on it from the multitude of spells she'd cast over the years. Her stone God and Goddess figures sat firmly on it, some of her ritual tools laid out from earlier. She lit incense and candles before she sat herself firmly in the center of this space on the cold ground and closed her eyes. She felt her frustration drain away, a calm, healing energy rising up in her. A smile pulled at her lips a short time later as she felt grounded and centered. She got up, thanking the Earth, then returned to her kitchen, the soft music still playing.

Grandma set to work, fixing the soup, muttering little incantations under her breath and imbuing each ingredient with peaceful energy. He deserved that much. He needed someone to love him, to care for him, to be his calm place at the end of the day. He needed security and companionship, comfort. And he needed protection from whatever negative energies were surrounding him. Grandma worked her spell into that soup pot, concentrating on it, letting the music guide her emotions. Once she was satisfied with it, she set to work on the next task – getting rid of those damned nightmares.

She settled herself at the kitchen table, binding the willow hoop with leather, her mind drifting, feeling at peace in her work. She easily wove the web of the dreamcatcher, the work meditative, hypnotic. She stared at her collection of stone beads only for a moment before she began to weave them into the web – light purple amethyst for protection against guilt and fear, rainbow-like opal for happy dreams, vivid red ruby for understanding, black tourmaline for protection against negative energies, brilliant green jade for insight, yellowish peridot for understanding one's place in the world, silvery blue quartz for tranquility. She could feel the power growing from it, curling around her hands as she worked. She felt a bit proud as she watched it take shape – it was quite possibly the most beautiful dreamcatcher she'd ever made.

From the bottom of the dreamcatcher, she began to hang feathers. She smirked to herself as she selected them – some she was not supposed to have. But her reasoning was that if she found it on her property, then the bird must have gifted it to her for a reason. She hung a black-tipped white eagle feather from the bottom for courage, smiling at the masculine energy radiating from it. Beside this she hung the striped brown and black owl feather for wisdom, balancing the eagle feather with its feminine energy. A silvery feather from a crane was next for focus. To bring magick and transformation she added a black raven's feather. Lastly came the white feather of a swan for inner beauty and spiritual intuition.

Grandma had to set the dreamcatcher down on the table for a moment to clear her mind. The energies coming from it were nothing short of amazing. She felt rather proud of herself, thinking she'd picked energies that were exactly what Goku needed in his life. She frowned, looking at it, hoping that bitch of a wife would let him hang it in their home. The hoop was rather large – roughly the size of a dinner plate. No, Chichi wouldn't touch it. Grandma was certain of that, but how she knew this, she wasn't quite sure. As a matter of fact, she was sure NO ONE would ever touch it, save for Goku, because it was made specifically for him. Even she felt a bit uncomfortable handling it now, and she had made it. She smiled again. Her intent had been strong and it worked. Already, the magickal item had bound itself to its owner.

She picked it up carefully by the loop at the top, trying not to touch it any more than was necessary, lest she disturb the magick growing within it, and set it on the countertop near the window. The semi-precious stones caught the light and glimmered brightly. She smiled and returned to her stove, excited to present it to him after dinner and dessert.

Goku had arrived early-afternoon, but it was growing close to nine o'clock by the time Grandma had dinner prepared. She was feeling a bit tired from so much spell work, but she knew it was worth it in the end. He deserved this much. She set the table with her best china and filled crystal flutes with her finest wine – homemade and blessed, of course. The table was laden with mountains of chicken alfredo, baskets of garlic-crusted breadsticks, plates of portabella mushrooms stuffed with bacon, cream cheese and chives, plates of fresh, crisp salad, and steaming bowls of the zuppa tuscana soup. And by the gods, it smelled amazing.

Grandma changed her clothes, which had gotten rather dirty from all of her cooking, putting on her long black dress with the flowing skirt and draping a beaded black shawl around her shoulders. Her silver-streaked black hair was pulled back into a large bun and adorned with several silver, jeweled hair sticks arranged like a fan. She felt better. It didn't seem right to her to sit down at such an elaborate supper in dirty clothes.

She carefully cracked open the old door, peering into the room where the Saiyan slept. He looked peaceful and she hated to wake him. But she wasn't about to let that supper go cold. She crossed the room to the bed and sat down on the edge of it, studying him. She was grateful that her granddaughter had someone like him in her life. He was quite possibly the best influence that girl had ever had. And Grandma was proud to be able to call him family. It felt like an honor to her. What upset her so was that everyone around him seemed to take it for granted. They loved him and appreciated what he did, but they did not tell him that often enough. And sometimes, that's all it takes to lift one's spirit – to hear that they are loved and appreciated. That what they do means something to someone else and that their work isn't in vain. Hell, a simple thank you now and then can make a world of difference. And this man didn't have nearly enough of that in his life. He was questioning his purpose, as if the things he did didn't matter. It infuriated her.

She pushed those emotions down again. This was not about her feelings, but his. And she wanted him to leave her home knowing that at least SOMEONE saw what he did and appreciated him. She softly threaded her fingers through his hair, laughing lightly at the literal purr that issued from him. He sounded like a big, contented cat.

"Goku, it's time to get up," she said softly.

He whined and tucked his head into the pillow, making her laugh again.

"Now I just spent hours making you a big, fancy supper. You're not going to let all my hard work go to waste, are you?" she asked, her voice a bit louder, daring him to ignore her again. A smirk pulled at the corner of her mouth when he opened one eye and stared up at her with interest. She raised her eyebrows, nodding. "Yes sir. A huge meal, just for you. You can eat to your heart's content."

Goku blinked at her for a moment, a smile tugging at his lips. Half of him felt giddy and wanted to hide under the covers some more, but the decadent smell wafting in from the open door made his stomach growl loudly and he remembered it had been a while since he had eaten. He had been having the most peaceful dream; he had been running around a yard, in the warm sunlight, bare feet, chasing after his youngest son, Gohan and Lindsey nearby with their baby, laughing and cheering them on. There had been others there, but he couldn't make out their faces. He just knew that they were two people, important people, asleep in each other's arms under the shade of a giant oak tree. Grandma Arthusia sitting in the grass, smoking one of those clove cigarettes and smiling faintly. He didn't know why, but he wanted to go to the shadowed people under the tree, lay back down with them and nap some more. He chuckled to himself, a sleep within a sleep.

He shook the last tendrils of his dream away and yawned as he sat up and stretched, his stomach growling yet again and he laughed, rubbing at the back of his head. "Thank you! You really didn't have to do all this for me. I hope it wasn't too much trouble." He smiled up at her, yet again feeling like the little kid inside, a strange urge to curl up, his head on her lap and just listen to what she had to say, telling him stories and combing her hands through his hair. He stood up, stretching even more, feeling his back pop. "Oh wow!" he said, voice still thick with sleep. "I haven't slept that well in ages!" he laughed, joking, "I almost forgot what a bed feels like."

Grandma couldn't help but shake her head. "Perhaps she should try sleeping on that hard couch one of these nights," Grandma muttered. She stopped herself and sighed through her nose, forcing Chichi from her thoughts. "And it was no trouble. My pleasure, really. I don't get dinner guests often. Now come along before it gets cold." She led him back down the winding staircase to the kitchen. The soft Celtic music was still playing as Grandma sat herself in her chair. "Well don't be shy," she said, "Have a seat. Tuck in."

Goku's eyes widened at the spread before him. He felt comfort just by breathing it in. He sat down and reached over for the bowl of soup, stirring it up and breathing in the steam before he lifted the giant spoon and took a bite. His eyes fluttered closed. It was hot, delicious and the he first bite ignited his hunger to full force and he started devouring everything. Oh by the gods, he hadn't had a decent meal like this in forever. The garlic breadsticks melted in his mouth, the chicken Alfredo bursting across his tongue. Each bite seemed to chase away all the terrible feelings that had been weighing heavily on him, each bite making his heart lighter. The mountains of food quickly disappeared and turned into crumbs and empty containers in no time. He finally sat back, feeling more relaxed and full and content. He felt much, much better. The soft music in the background soothed his mind. He felt happy. He smiled over at the grandmother, "oh boy! That was so good! I'm stuffed!" He looked at all the dirty dishes and looked nervously over at her for the first time. "Ah... will you let me help you wash the dishes? Please, you've done so much for me, I don't know how else to repay you."

Not to boast, but Grandma had to admit that was one of the best meals she'd prepared in a long time. She sat back in her chair, lighting a cigarette and laughing lightly, "Oh, dear, you don't have to worry about that. You're my guest." She paused, tipping her head to the side, looking at him intently. "On second thought, yes. Yes, you may help me. I trust you not to break anything. But you don't have to repay me anything. I don't charge family for my services," she said with a wink.

She got up from the table and cut into the big chocolate cake she'd made and brought a slice over to Goku. "Now that you're rested and your mind is clearer, let's talk about these nightmares you're having. You said the persons causing so much pain and suffering look like you? I have a hard time believing that you would harm others. Any idea why you keep seeing yourself in that position?"

Goku eyed the chocolate cake with appreciation and took a bite of it, savoring it before he swallowed and looked over at her. "I don't know," he said honestly. He hadn't been able to talk to anyone about this. "Leelee had a vision of the Saiyans we're supposed to face in battle. Vegeta said they were part of my father's crew who were off their home planet when it was destroyed. That's how they survived. I don't know what seeing myself in them means. It might just be that we are Saiyans. I don't know if I'm related to them or if it means they have some way to control me or if they we being controlled... I'm afraid. The destruction I see - it's horrible. Men, women, children... women with child..." He shuddered as he remembered the disemboweled mother-to-be he had seen in his dream.

Grandma sat quietly, listening intently to him. "You've been controlled by others before. But you alone were able to regain some control, to speak through the spell, even when the others could not. I don't think they'll be able to control you again." She was thoughtful for a moment. "And it may be that because they have such a connection to your father that you see yourself in them. Related or not, you cannot allow that to cloud your judgment when you face them. You must do what is best to protect your family, protect the Earth and Her people." Grandma shook her head slowly. "I still cannot believe that you have no one else to speak to about this. Your family should be supporting you right now, just as you support them."

Goku shook his head. "Goten is too young, I want to keep him out of this. Gohan and Lindsey have enough worries on their minds, what with the new baby and everything. When I go over there, I don't want to bring up the bad memories when I am holding my grandson." He sighed, "And Chichi says I am over reacting, that being the strongest man on the earth, I shouldn't be so stupid as to let dreams awake me up screaming in the middle of the night. She won't let me get a word out and sends me to the couch." He sighed again. "I wish... I wish I could make her understand, to see what I see," he said quietly.

"The eyes cannot see if the mind is closed, dear," Grandma said softly. She fixed Goku with a sympathetic stare. "She doesn't want to see." She drew another long drag of smoke, exhaling slowly. "Your family is bigger than that. Can you not speak to Vegeta? Or any of your other friends? What about Jenny's husband? Or Sabriena's teacher? You may find this is weighing heavily on their minds as well. You are not the only one with children to protect."

Goku shrugged and shook his head, not quite meeting her eyes anymore. He just didn't want to bother anyone else with his problems.

"Goku, have you ever looked at a stone archway?" Grandma asked.

He nodded.

"The stone at the very top is the keystone. It's what holds the whole arch together. Without that one stone, the columns on either side would collapse. But without the columns, the keystone would fall. The keystone locks the arch together, but it in turn needs the other stones to support it and hold it up. YOU are the keystone for your family and friends. Do you understand?"

Goku nodded, thinking. He honestly hadn't thought about himself like that. Everyone was busy with training, families - he could have smacked himself for not thinking to ask Tien or Sabriena when they had been training. He had lost himself in the moments, in the training. "I should have." He gave a weak laugh, "I should have thought about that. I didn't think anyone else would want to hear about my troubles. I didn't want anyone else to think that... that I couldn't handle such a simple thing as a nightmare." He ate another bite of cake, feeling his worries melt away in that rich decadence, he closed his eyes and ate another bite. "I didn't know where to turn to. Every place I thought of, it seemed like a bad idea, then I remembered you and dreams seem to be in your realm of understanding. You understood before. If that makes sense."

She smiled kindly at him. "I do understand. But what you need to understand is that their troubles are the same as yours. Relationships cannot succeed without communication. And that includes friendships. You're not the only one losing sleep at night, dear."

He felt ashamed of himself. She was right. "You're right. I should go and talk to them. Vegeta might understand. Tien and Sabriena have been sparring with me for the past few months, maybe they would understand."

She crushed out her cigarette and, looking a little proud of herself, said, "When you're done with that cake, I have a gift for you. It's over there on the counter. Should help you get a decent night's sleep at home, even if you end up on the couch... again."

He wolfed down the rest of the delicious cake and set the empty plate on the side, looking around to the counter. His eyes went wide as he saw the dreamcatcher like the one in the room he slept in, but this one… "It's beautiful," he breathed, reaching out and picking it up. A calm and peaceful sensation washed over him and he felt himself waiver on his feet. He let out a sigh, feeling something warm and peaceful working its way into his heart, his soul. He hugged it carefully to his chest, looking at the beautiful stones and feathers, each one different and he knew they were special. Each one had a different song and together... oh... He felt like he could take on the world if he held onto that. "Wow! Did you... did you just make this?"

Grandma smiled at his appreciation. "Yes I did. Just for you. You hang that up in your home. The nightmares will stop. And then you'll be able to focus clearly on preparing for this war." She could feel the peaceful comfort settling into him, the way it seemed to sooth his emotions and his worry. "And don't you worry - no one will be able to touch that. It's yours and yours alone." She got up from the table and crossed the room to him, taking his face in her hands again. "I know the things you have done for this planet. For my family. For your family and your friends. And I know you don't hear this nearly enough. Thank you, Goku, for what you do and for being who you are. You are a remarkable person and all of us are lucky to have you in our lives. And even when you don't feel it, you are loved and appreciated."

Goku felt more tears gathering in his eyes and he wrapped his arms around her, holding her tightly close to him. No one said that to him in a very long time. He couldn't remember the last time... Lindsey, when he helped her through her drug problem.

He hugged her close, "Thank you. For everything. It's more than I've had in a while. It's what I needed."

Grandma hugged him for a long time before she finally broke away and wiped the tears from his eyes. "Now, it's getting rather late here. I imagine it's mid-morning back in Japan. I hate to have our evening end, dear, but I'm afraid I have other matters to attend to here shortly. You go see Sabriena and Tien. They'll be more than happy to see you. I daresay, they're quite worried about you. They haven't seen you in a couple weeks." She hugged him once more. "You come see me again soon, you hear? I do so enjoy our visits."

Goku smiled. "Thank you. I'll go see them right now. I've been missing them, too. We have a lot of training to do." He smiled at her, "If you ever need anything, just let me know."

"Of course, dear. Now shoo. Go have a good day with your friends and hang that up when you get home," she said, giving him a playful swat on his butt. "And I mean it - you better come see me again soon." She put her hand up by her mouth and stage-whispered, "And if you could convince that Vegeta to come with you, I certainly wouldn't mind it. Goodness knows I certainly enjoy looking at him." She laughed and gave Goku a wink. "Go on now. Get outta here."

Goku couldn't stop the laugh that came from his throat. He smiled brightly at her, "For you, I'll see what I can do!" He pressed to fingers to his forehead and smiled at her warmly. "Really... thank you... for everything." And he vanished, thinking of a small cabin in the woods with two wonderful people.


	25. Oneiromancy

Goku blinked as he was once again faced with the difference in time zones. The evening vanished to reveal a fresh morning, the sun still rising above the trees. He still held onto his dreamcatcher as he looked around, smiling as he spotted Tien busy chopping wood, and Sabriena sitting next to the fire pit outside, stirring a pot of something, both of them bundled up against the cold. He was happy to see them, the talk with grandma Arthusia had helped a lot. He didn't know why he couldn't see it before. "Hey guys!" He walked over, taking a deep breath in, smelling the campfire, the pine trees and fresh water. "It's been a while!" He didn't know what was different, whether the uninterrupted rest, the hot meal, or the precious gift he held in his hand, but he felt happy. He didn't realize he had been missing this.

Tien drove the head of the axe into the stump and turned, wiping his forehead on the back of his wrist. "Hey Goku!" he grinned. "Where ya been? We haven't seen you in a few weeks!" Tien looked tired, like he'd been working too hard all day, but it was still early morning.

"GOKU!" Sabriena cried cheerily and bounced over to him and Tien. "Ooooo! What's that?" she asked, leaning forward and peering at the dreamcatcher he had in his hands. "Oh, I love those things! Where'd you get it?"

Goku smiled at her, looking down at the dream catcher, seeing it in the sunlight was even more spectacular, the way the different colored stones caught the light and reflected it. "Grandma Arthusia made it for me. I just got back from seeing her." He swallowed, looking back up at them both, feeling more confidence than he felt in a long while. He didn't feel like these two would laugh at him or tell him he was being ridiculous if he was honest with them. "Actually, I just came from there. I... I've been having nightmares. Last night it was so bad I woke up, uh… screaming. Chichi kicked me out of the bedroom awhile ago and I couldn't think of anywhere else to go. So I went to see Gramma. The dreams, the nightmares, they're about the upcoming war." He sighed and moved to sit down on a log in front of the fire, looking at the dancing flames, reaching over to warm his hands over it. "I keep seeing myself, doing those terrible things we saw in Leelee's vision. And worse."

Sabriena and Tien shared a look of concern. "Aw, shit," Sabriena muttered.

"Language," Tien growled.

She pointed a finger at him, "Don't start with me." He gave her a warning look before they both sat down beside Goku. Sabriena looked at Tien again before she licked her lips, trying to choose her words carefully. Tien had been doing the same thing. Waking up in a cold sweat, yelling in his sleep, fighting something that wasn't there. But Tien couldn't remember his dreams when he woke up. "How long have you been having these nightmares?" Sabriena asked carefully.

Goku looked over at her, studying her face, but he didn't see anything judgmental about her look, just concern and worry. He shrugged, "I couldn't tell you. I think maybe they started a month ago or so. I know I had a few of them when we were staying here for training, but they keep getting worse." He rubbed at his face. "It's hard to tell when you can't get a full night of sleep. It all starts running together." He looked at them both, Tien especially, the faint circles under his eyes, the exchanged look with Sabriena, "You too?" He was running his thumb over the soft leather of the dreamcatcher absentmindedly. He didn't know why, but it just felt right to have, like he had been missing something. Maybe he still was, but he felt closer to it now.

Tien stared at his hands in his lap. "Yeah," he answered, "for a few weeks now. It's not every night, but it has been happening a lot." He was really worried now. If Goku was having dreams similar to his own, it couldn't be mere coincidence. This was bad.

Sabriena swallowed, casting a nervous glance at Tien. "He keeps waking up shouting or... or fighting something in his sleep."

"I can't remember my dreams, though," Tien said quietly.

"It freaks him out pretty bad," Sabriena muttered. "Freaks me out, too, when it wakes me up."

Goku blinked at her for a moment before looking over at Tien. "You said you can't remember what the nightmares are about? I wish I didn't." He sighed and looked down at the ground, pushing a stone with his boot, "I keep seeing what looks like me and I know I would never do anything to hurt anyone but then I remember when we were looking for Paige and that spell." He swallowed harshly and pressed his lips thin, looking back up at both of them. "I don't want to be controlled like that again. But what if the dreams are omens? That they have some way to control us… me... again?"

Sabriena chewed her lip for a minute, "That WAS scary."

"Sabriena!" Tien scolded.

"Well it was! You weren't there in that castle! Would you wanna fight him if he was trying to actually kill you?" she shot back. She drew a long breath, "Goku, I'm not trying to be rude. I'm just saying, that's a really frightening thought. Because last time, they weren't trying to use you or the others to kill us outright. They were trying to wear all of us down so we'd be easy targets. I doubt they'd make the same mistake this time. If they did control you again somehow, they'd want to do it quick. And that's really freakin' scary."

Tien groaned and looked up at the sky, shaking his head. "Noooo tact. No tact whatsoever."

Sabriena leaned across Goku and slapped at Tien's arm. "I do too have tact!"

He shook his head again.

Sabriena huffed, "What I'm TRYING to say is, IF you think that's their plan, then we need to figure out how to not let it happen!"

Goku chuckled at them a moment before he sobered up, "I don't know. I don't know what's going to happen. I didn't realize other people were having these nightmares." He rubbed at his head, sliding his fingers through his hair, "I'll have to go talk with Vegeta about this. Maybe he has an idea or heck, maybe Jenny will have some idea, some part of the protective spell she can put into the armor to keep us from losing ourselves to another spell." He sighed, looking at them sheepishly, "I should have come and talked to you guys sooner. It's good to know that I'm not the only one. I thought for sure you guys were going to laugh at me, or think less of me because I'm, well, you know, scared of a dream."

Tien cocked an eyebrow. "Think less of you?" The disbelief was all over his face. "I would never think less of you, Goku."

"I might laugh at you for worrying about us judging you," Sabriena snipped, but winked at him. "Seriously, Goku, you can talk to us. Besides, if you're worried about us telling anyone, you shouldn't be. You're the only one who comes to see us! Who on earth would we tell anyway?" she asked with a laugh. She patted him on the back. "You can tell us anything."

Tien nodded in agreement, "She may seem like she's got a big mouth, but she is trust-worthy. I promise."

Sabriena scowled at him and turned back to the fire, stirring the gravy she was making for their breakfast.

Tien leaned back on his hands, losing himself in thought for a minute. "Our dreams have to be connected. I think you're right. I think it's some kind of warning. And if it is, then we both have the right to be scared."

Goku nodded, letting out the breath he didn't even realize he had been holding. He needed to hear that. It was comforting to know that there had been people who would listen to him. He felt that contentment settling back into him and he let himself slip off the log to recline against it. He smiled and looked up at the sky. "Thanks for listening to me. I'm glad I'm not the only one, but I suppose that only makes it more complicated." He sighed; he had things to do. He briefly wondered if Goten was having nightmares... Gohan... maybe even Vegeta. Or hell, maybe not even another Saiyan, if anyone else was having these dreams, maybe it was time to make a list and see why it was happening. He would have to go back home and hang up the dream catcher first. Then maybe get Goten and head over to Gohan's and talk with him. Lindsey had a connection with her grandmother, maybe she might have a few ideas that could come in handy. "I think I need to go talk to some of others now, but would it be alright if I came back later and we sparred some?"

"Yeah, that's fine, Goku," Tien answered finally getting back up and brushing himself off. "We gotta get our chores done anyway. Come back this afternoon if you want. We can spar then."

Sabriena jabbed at Goku's shoulder. "And you better come back! You've stayed away too long this time. If you don't show, I will hunt you down," she teased.

He leaned his head back as he laughed and nodded, poking her back in her shoulder, "Oh You wont have to worry about that. You're going to have a hard time getting rid of me."

"I nearly died and you didn't even know it," she muttered.

"Do what?!" he cried, blinking widely at her. "What happened? Were you guys attacked?"

Tien shook his head. "She fell in the spring, nearly froze to death before I got to her. She's okay now. She's just looking for attention," he accused, narrowing his eyes at her.

She blew a raspberry back at him.

Goku gave a violent shudder. He couldn't imagine how that must have felt. He frowned, something panging in his heart at the thought of how he would feel if she had died. They'd become very close friends and after hearing how much Tien loved her, he couldn't imagine what they would do without her now. He suddenly grabbed her up in a hug, squeezing her tightly. "You be more careful from now on," he warned. "We don't want to lose you, okay?"

"Awww," she said, hugging him back. "Don't worry about me. I'll be okay. I was just giving you a hard time. But seriously, don't stay away so long anymore."

Goku nodded and squeezed her a little tighter before he stepped back and grinned. "You bet." He waved to them, clutching at his dream catcher. "Thanks again you guys, really." He pressed his fingers to his forehead, concentrating on the house, vanishing in one second and reappearing outside in the backyard next to the hot tub. He swallowed, holding his gift carefully, eyeing the place he called home warily. For some reason, there was unease here. Was it from the bad dreams? Something else? He moved and carefully pushed open the door without a sound. He would hang the dream catcher in the living room. If his son was having nightmares, maybe his gift would give some protection to him as well.

Chichi stood in the kitchen, her arms crossed, watching her husband sneaking into the house. She tapped her foot impatiently. He had already left the house before she and Goten got up that morning. Out training with those no-good friends of his, no doubt. "And just where have you been?!" she demanded, making him jump. "If you're sneaking in here hoping for breakfast, it's too late, mister! You missed out!"

For once, this didn't bother Goku and for some reason her harsh tone didn't seem to make his heart twist. He just smiled, "No thanks, Chichi. Grandma Arthusia made me a giant dinner like an hour ago. I'm good." He carefully gripped his gift and moved around his wife to head into the living room where his "bed" was. He shrugged and went to the window that had sunlight streaming through it. He pushed the curtains apart and hung the little leather strap over the window lock, the large catcher hanging perfectly in the center of the window, the stones and feathers catching the light brilliantly and it almost seemed to glow. Already he could feel a warm, healthy energy starting to radiate outwards from it and he sighed in relief.

"ARTHUSIA?!" Chichi raged. "What on earth were you doing seeing that crazy old devil woman?! Goku, you KNOW how I feel about her! She probably poisoned you! You're going to end up in the hospital!" She followed him into the living room, her voice carrying throughout the house. "And what on earth is that ugly thing?! Ewwwww! Feathers?! Get that thing out of this house! It's made from dead animals! And go wash your hands!"

Goku felt a brief flash of anger at the words that came out of Chichi's mouth just then, but they were gone the next second and he adjusted the catcher so it was level before he took a step back and admired it, the way the stones caught the light, speckled the room in a beautiful splash of color. He felt happy and calm. "She's family, Chichi. I went to see her last night about my nightmares. This is going to help keep me from having them." His eyes sparkled at it, grateful to Arthusia for the beautiful gift. "She spent a few hours weaving it for me. It's beautiful. Can you believe she wove those stones into it? Look at how they bend the light." He smiled, wanting to go wake up Goten and see how he was doing. "I'm going to show Goten. I hope he hasn't been having nightmares."

"You are NOT putting that thing on display in our house. Do you have any idea how hard I work to keep this place nice and clean? No, of course you don't! Because you're never here!" Chichi was shaking, her hands clenched into fists. Angry tears burned the corners of her black eyes. "I'm not letting any of that voodoo crap into this house!" She stomped across the living room to the window, intent on ripping that thing down and flinging it into the trash. She reached out to grab it, but just as her hand neared it, she froze, withdrawing her hand. A sudden chill ran down her spine and she felt she couldn't bring herself to touch it. It didn't hurt her or shock her or cause her harm in any way. But it felt... dangerous. Like she had no business touching it and something horrible would happen if she did. She stepped back, staring at it for a moment before she drew a long breath through her nose and reached for it again, determined to get it out of her house. But yet again, when her fingers were mere centimeters from it, a chilling fear ripped through her and she pulled her hand back again, her eyes wide. "That thing doesn't want me to touch it," she breathed, disbelief all over her face.

Goku wasn't listening to her, walking down the hallway and knocking lightly on Goten's door before he carefully pushed it open, smiling softly as he saw his son sprawled out on his stomach, lightly snoring away, his pajamas riding up in the back, exposing his skin. He crossed the room, sitting down on the edge of the bed, tugging down the shirt before he placed his hand on his sons back and rubbed him gently. He seemed to be sleeping just fine. He ruffled the spiky black hair on his head, before leaning down and nuzzling into it. Maybe he hadn't been having nightmares. Relief flooded over him and he smiled, reaching down and pulling the covers up over his son. And if he had been having nightmares, now that the dreamcatcher was in the house, maybe they would all be able to get some shut eye. He carefully left the room, deciding to let Goten sleep in, closing the door behind him.

He smiled widely as he saw Chichi just standing looking at the dream catcher, "Oh! Good! You left it up! Hopefully it will take care of our nightmares. I'll need to go talk to Vegeta about them too. It's related to the war somehow I'm sure. Tien was just telling me he had been having them too. "

Chichi looked at him and rolled her eyes. "Oh, so you went to see him, too, huh? Figures. Do whatever you want, Goku. I'm really starting to just not care anymore." She eyed the dreamcatcher warily. Hideous, evil thing. "And the only reason I'm leaving that up is because I'm afraid of getting cursed again! I know she was behind it when I lost my voice last spring!" Chichi threw her hands in the air in exasperation. "Go play with your friends, Goku. Go whine and cry some more over your nightmares. Obviously your friends mean more to you than your family does. But while you're out goofing off, just remember I'm going to be here cleaning and trying to figure out how to get all the bills paid!"

Goku frowned at her, "Oh Chichi, she's too nice, she never would have cursed you. I don't think she does curses any way, just good things." He sighed and looked over at her, going to her, reaching out for her. "Let me help you Chichi. I can clean the house. You know I'm just trying to do what I can to save our family. I wish there wasn't another war coming, but it is. I can't ignore that. If something were to happen to you, Goten or Gohan or anyone of our friends, I could never forgive myself."

She withdrew from him, frowning. "NO. Just nevermind, Goku. I'll do it myself." She skirted around him, heading back for her already perfectly tidy kitchen. "All you care about is fighting and I just don't understand. I thought you'd grow out of this. I did! Why can't you? Oh, that's right. Because you think the whole world depends on you. You know there's plenty of others to fight this war. I just don't understand why you always have to be Mr. Involved all the time!" She filled her mop bucket and began to wash the floor. "Just go, Goku. You'd only be in my way anyway. And you'd screw it up and make more work for me." Her voice sounded flat, like she'd just completely given up.

He swallowed hard, remembering what Arthusia had said to him about being a keystone. Something in him told him not to bring it up, just drop it or she would find another way to slander that good woman's work and name. He smiled at her anyway and said softly as he turned to go. "I love you, Chichi."

She pretended not to hear him and kept scrubbing the floor, her back to him as she worked. She ever so slightly shook her head, her mind preoccupied with that ugly thing hanging in her front window and how she could get rid of it once he was gone.

* * *

Vegeta felt Goku's energy the moment he appeared in Capsule Corp. He sighed and waved at Jenny. "Take a break. Kakarot's here." He punched in the code to deactivate the gravity room and opened the door. Goku was standing in the hallway, right outside, just as Vegeta knew he would be. "What do you want, Kakarot?"

Goku smiled at Vegeta, waving to Jenny who waved at him, grabbing a drink of water from a bottle before she plopped down on the ground. He looked back to the Saiyan. "Hey, sorry to interrupt training. Do you think we could talk for a moment?" He thumbed down the hallway. "I've been having some nightmares, and I wanted to know if anyone else has been having them."

Vegeta raised a skeptical eyebrow but headed down the hallway wordlessly. He didn't have time for this, but he knew the sooner he got it over with, the sooner he could get back to training. Vegeta rounded the corner to the family room, barking at Trunks and Catie, "Out."

They got up and left without question. They knew that tone. Trunks smiled and gave a half-wave at Goku as they left.

Vegeta turned, crossing his arms to stare at the taller Saiyan. "This better be good, Kakarot. I don't have time for a bunch of nonsense."

Goku gestured with his hands as he spoke, "Well, I... I've been having these horrifying nightmares for about a month or so. I find myself waking up screaming, covered in a cold sweat. And it turns out Tien's been having nightmares too." He sighed and sat down, wincing at the look that Vegeta was giving him. "He can't remember the dreams, but I do and they're terrible. They remind me of that time when Paige was kidnapped and we were trapped in that castle. They cast that spell on us... controlled us."

Vegeta snorted. "Poor Kakarot afraid of his dreams, huh? Pathetic. Not surprised that Triclops is shaking in his boots as well. If this war's going to be too much, perhaps you should sit this one out." He gave Goku a sneering look. What had gotten into him? He'd never seen Goku frightened before. Not by anything they ever came up against. He always met the challenge head-on with excitement and overwhelming enthusiasm. "And if you think for one second that that trick of theirs is going to work a second time, you are sadly mistaken. I have no intention of being captured or manipulated again. I think the pressure's getting to you, Kakarot."

Goku ran a hand through his hair. "Maybe." He looked back up at the other Saiyan. "But Vegeta, I remember my dreams vividly." He swallowed, "I keep seeing myself and I'm killing everyone. Women and children..." He felt sick just talking about it. Remembering the shadowy figure in the dream, it matched his silhouette, the hair, the build. "And it's weird. Sometimes it's like I'm on the outside watching it and sometimes I see it as if I'm doing it. I don't know what it means Vegeta. I don't know if I am letting the pressure get to me or if it's a warning. I don't want to hurt anyone! Not again! If they found another way to control us..." He shook his head, "I couldn't forgive myself. I don't know what it means."

Vegeta's expression softened ever so slightly. He knew what it meant. There were details he'd left out when he'd told Goku about his father's crew. Vegeta huffed. "Sounds to me like your dreams are predicting the war and what you will face in it. There are... issues... regarding the squad your father led that I left out. Don't you dare think me soft for one moment, because I didn't do it to spare your feelings. But I know you, Kakarot. You can let your emotions cloud your judgment. And that can be fatal in battle - for yourself and everyone around you. I've worked too damn hard to have the life I do now to see you err in judgment when we go up against these enemies." He lowered his hands to his hips, shifting his weight to one leg. "Don't you remember seeing the Saiyans in that vision who looked like you?"

Goku thought hard about it. "All I remember is the female Saiyan and the big guy who was crushing people's hearts. And Hybris. I remember her," he said thoughtfully as he shuddered. "I remember others with the hammers, but I didn't pay much attention to what they looked like."

Vegeta nearly rolled his eyes. "That's why you're seeing someone who looked like you. You're seeing yourself in these dreams you're having because two members of that crew are your father's brothers. Your uncles."

Goku blinked at Vegeta, his mind getting caught up on the first part. Vegeta was still as worried about this war as he was. The second part hit him like a truck, "Uncles?" He swallowed harshly, feeling sick, "I... my relatives... are the ones doing this?" He drug a hand through his hair, tugging at it. He felt a minor weight lifting from his shoulders, knowing that it wasn't himself in those dreams, but someone who shared his blood - something about that was crushing, "Oh gods..." How could he kill his own kind when there were so few of them left? But, then again... his own kind... He and Vegeta were the only ones left...the only ones that mattered and together on this planet they had a new family and a new kind all together. He had even sacrificed himself to kill Radditz and had felt little remorse for that. Was there no one good in his biological family at all? Perhaps that was what was bothering him more than anything, knowing the kind of people whose blood he shared. "What do we do?"

"What do we do?" Vegeta repeated. "Have you lost your mind? We face them in battle, same as any other opponent!" He growled and shook his head. "This is why I didn't tell you! You're too soft, Kakarot! I guarantee they know you're here. And they know who you are, that you're Bardock's son. And they intend to kill you anyway! There's a REASON Frieza sent them to that god-forsaken planet at the edge of the galaxy. They were nuts! Even by Saiyan standards, they were ruthlessly brutal. You saw that vision. They take exceptional delight in torturing others. And they will not hesitate to do the same to you and all that you hold dear." Vegeta paused to snort again. "What do we do? We act like the Saiyans we are and destroy those who threaten our home!"

Goku had to admire Vegeta. He could see the natural born leader in him, prepared to fight and die for his home, his family, his people. Goku thought about it. Family. Family would not be plaguing loved ones with nightmares, staining hands with blood... not his family. The image of the children they killed in his dream, if Goten was one of them... Gohan... Lindsey… his grandson... No. No, he couldn't let that happen, no matter who he had to go up against. His gaze steeled and he looked back up at the prince of all Saiyans who had given him a verbal kick in his ass. "Thanks Vegeta. I needed to hear that." He swallowed, "Grandma Arthusia gave me something for my nightmares. I'll be able to focus better now, hopefully after I get a night's rest."

The corner of Vegeta's mouth twitched. "You went to see that old crone, huh? Enigma of a woman if I ever met one. Whatever she gave you, take care of it. I imagine it'll work the way she told you it will. Damned if I can figure out how she knows the things she does."

Goku looked at him a moment longer "Is there anything else we can do to use this to our advantage? Any moves that you know or fighting styles that you know they used?"

Vegeta went silent for a minute, thinking. "Not really, Kakarot. I trained with the elite. I never saw them fight. I only heard the stories. The techniques they were using in that dream are foreign to me. It's obvious the Atlantians have taught them magick. But it doesn't matter. No matter what they do, we've got a few aces up our sleeve." He sighed at Goku's questioning look. "The girls, you idiot. And the armor. Bulma and Jennifer are nearly done with it. I guarantee Bardock's crew won't have magick-infused armor."

Goku smiled at that, "No. No they won't. Not like what they've come up with." He couldn't wait to see the finished designs. Gods knew that they had worked long and hard on it. He chuckled at Vegeta recounting Arthusia, grinning, "You know, I asked her what she wanted in return and she said I could visit her more and bring you along with me." He snickered, "You and Gramma, Vegeta, who knew?"

Vegeta clapped a hand to his eyes, fighting the burning heat he felt across his cheekbones. "Crazy old woman." He shook his head, trying not to snicker. Flattering it may be... no. Just... no. He lowered his hand, covering his mouth and glanced at Goku. "You know that old bat said she'd give Bulma a run for her money?" He shook his head again. "She may be useful, but you keep her away from me, Kakarot. I heard about that love potion she helped Jennifer concoct. I will have NO part of that."

Goku tilted his head back and laughed, deep and rich. He felt much better. He looked back at him, "Thanks, Vegeta. Those dreams really were getting to me. I'll be ready by the time they make their move." He stood up and stretched, trying to think of where else he needed to go next. "I'll let you get back to training. I appreciate it."

Vegeta gave a nod and left the room, bellowing, "Jennifer! Get back in the gravity room now! We're not finished here!" as Goku vanished from sight.


	26. Angel

Tien hit the ground hard, gasping for air. He didn't get back up. He just wasn't in it today. "Sorry, Goku," he groaned, forcing himself to sit up.

Goku landed and powered down, nodding at Tien. He looked tired. "You look like you haven't slept in a week."

"I don't think I have," Tien answered truthfully. He rubbed at his tired eyes and fought the urge to yawn. "These nightmares just won't stop. And I still can't even remember what they're about." He was starting to get really irritated with the situation. Now, instead of waking up just a couple nights a week, it was every night, some times more than once. He'd even taken to holding Sabriena until she fell asleep and then he would scoot her over across the bed for fear of accidentally hitting her in his sleep.

Goku sighed. "I wish I knew what to tell you to do. Hey! I know! Why don't we see if Gramma can make a dreamcatcher for you, too? I can sleep all night long on the couch without having a nightmare now!"

Tien cocked an eyebrow at Goku. "The couch?"

Goku scratched the back of his head, forcing a laugh, "Chichi hasn't let me sleep in the bed since we got back from training."

"What?" Tien asked, his face screwed up in confusion. "Why?"

Goku shrugged and waved it off. "Ah, she'll come around. She always does. She's just really mad at me this time." He was rather tired of what was going on with Chichi. His heart ached. He wanted a warm bed, to hold his love close. He felt so alone.

Tien shook his head. Sometimes he really didn't understand why Goku put up with Chichi.

"Down! Down!" Sabriena hissed as she rounded the edge of the cabin, wrapped in Tien's cloak against the cold air. The Great Dane bounded next to her, jumping up at her, trying to get at the basket of eggs she carried.

"DOG! DOWN!" Tien commanded. Dog trotted over to where Tien sat on the ground and licked at Tien's face. "Goofy mutt," Tien laughed affectionately and scratched at the dog's ears.

Goku smiled at the dog and plopped down onto the cold ground. "Hey there, boy. Sabriena being mean, not giving you any eggs?" He winked over at Sabriena. "Hey, I meant to ask you, have you been sleeping okay?"

"Sleeping?" she asked, setting the basket of eggs just inside the door to the cabin. "Yeah, I'm sleeping just fine." She walked over to sit by Tien. "Oh!"

"You okay?" Tien asked her.

"Ground makes my butt cold," she answered. She scooted closer. "You should warm it up."

Tien felt the blush spread across his cheeks. He still wasn't quite used to being affectionate towards Sabriena in front of anyone. He knew it shouldn't have mattered – it was just Goku there.

She ignored his red face and turned to Goku. "Tien hasn't been sleeping very well, though," she added. "You look like you're feeling a lot better, though."

Goku smiled warmly at them, it felt good to be around them, and the love they showed for each other seemed to reach out to those near them. "Yeah, thank goodness for Gramma's dreamcatcher. I was surprised how well it worked. Not one bad dream since." He sighed and looked up at the grey sky, a storm was coming with lots of snow. The air around them held that quiet that promised the soft flakes would soon fall. "I think we will need a rain check on training today. You two need any help with chopping wood or anything?" He cringed, the thought of going back to his house and facing Chichi's blank, emotionless expression made him sick

"I think we're good," Tien answered. "We put up a whole bunch yesterday."

Sabriena could see the disappointed look on Goku's face. "You can stay for lunch if you're hungry," she offered kindly.

He face lit up. "You don't mind? I really appreciate it. I'm starving!" He laughed. Starving because there had been no breakfast to be found. When he made it to the kitchen, Chichi had been cleaning up Goten's breakfast of pancakes and said she had used up everything and would have to go to the store to get more. He sighed heavily, "I wish this war was over already."

"Me too," Tien said.

Sabriena got to her feet, trailing her nails up Tien's arm and across his shoulders as she went. She hesitated for a moment, standing slightly behind Goku, her fingers flexing. "I... I can't... I can't stop myself!" she giggled and grabbed his head, ruffling his hair. "I freaking love your hair," she said playfully through clenched teeth. She let him go and composed herself. "Sorry. I couldn't help it." And with that, she disappeared into the house.

Goku's eyes fluttered shut when roughly rubbed at his hair. He had to stop the purr that started working its way out of his throat; gods, that felt good. He sighed sadly when she pulled away and looked sheepishly over at Tien. "Sorry..."

Tien laughed lightly. "She's silly," he said. "She's changed a lot. She's a lot nicer than she used to be. I wish everyone else could see it." He shook his head. They hadn't seen a whole lot of their friends since the boot camp was over. Tien suspected none of them wanted to return to his cabin for a very long time and that was fine by him. They had all gone back to their own training, everyone working so hard, himself and Sabriena included, that no one had much time for visiting anymore.

Goku nodded. "She's not that woman I picked up last spring that's for sure," he sighed and leaned back, the cold was starting to seep in to his limbs now that they had stopped sparring.

Tien could see Goku starting to shiver. "Come on, let's go inside."

Sabriena was frying eggs and bacon in the big fireplace, loaves of homemade bread lay sliced on the table. "I hope egg and bacon sandwiches are okay,"' she said to them as they entered. "It's nothing fancy, but our options are kind'a limited this time of year."

Goku's stomach growled loudly in response and he laughed warmly and shut the door firmly behind him before moving to sit at the table, his fingers stinging as they warmed up. "That smells good! I didn't eat breakfast so it works out for me!" The cabin was warm, smelled of good food. He leaned his head on his arm and smiled over at them, he felt his eyes starting to droop as he sat on the up-ended stump in what had become his spot at the table. "Oh man, think I can bother you for some coffee?"

Sabriena already had a pot of coffee going and poured a cup for him. "We don't have any cream," she apologized, "but here's some sugar if you want it."

Tien shook his head as he drank from his own coffee cup. "Sugar freak," he growled at her. "What a way to ruin a perfectly good cup of coffee."

Goku laughed. "Sugar is what I put in it any way," he said as he put a scoop into the cup and stirred, breathing in deeply then dark liquid, relishing in the heat that spread through his body, "So, you guys coming to the Christmas party?"

"Another party?" Tien sighed, "We just had one!"

Sabriena laughed as she started putting the sandwiches together. "That was for our harvest, Tien. And that was over two months ago now."

"I know," he grumbled.

She paused and put her hands on her hips to stare at him. "I didn't see you complaining when you were stuffing your face," she snapped, trying to hide the laughter in her voice.

Goku laughed, "this one is Christmas, Tien! Presents and Santa Claus!" He snickered, "I heard Catie is trying to get Vegeta to dress up as Santa and Piccolo as the elf. I think they were plotting her death the last time I checked."

Tien and Sabriena laughed loudly. "Oh man, I'd pay good money to see that," Tien laughed, wiping at his eyes.

Sabriena slid a stack of sandwiches at Goku and another to Tien before she sat down and chomped into her own. "What do you guys want for Christmas?" she asked. "I gotta go shopping for everyone."

Goku groaned as he bit into the first sandwich he picked up, it was so decadent, and it was gone the next second. The stack of sandwiches wolfed down in no time flat, he looked over at Sabriena, trying to think of what he wanted, his cheeks rounded out as he chewed thoughtfully before swallowing. "Ah, you don't have to do that. I'm happy to have you two as my friends. That's all I need. But I think Goten would like something."

"I'm getting something for everyone," Sabriena stated. "What would Goten like? I suppose I should get something for Chichi, too..." She frowned thoughtfully. "Oh man, everyone's going to be hard to buy for. The kids should be easy... What do I buy for someone like Vegeta? Piccolo?"

Tien swallowed a bite of his sandwich and stared at her. "Why are you buying stuff for them?"

She blinked at him. "I like to give people stuff. And it would be rude to buy for some and not the others!"

"Don't get me anything," Tien said, picking his sandwich back up.

"Too late," she grinned. "I got you something and you're going to LOVE IT."

Goku laughed. "You can always cook for me! Goten's been asking for a puppy ever since he saw Dog, but Chichi is pretty much against that."

"PUPPY IT IS!" Sabriena cried, throwing her arms in the air, laughing.

Tien rubbed at his eyes with one hand. "Sabriena, no."

"Oh, all right," she huffed. "I never get to do anything fun." She got to her feet and cleared away their empty plates. "Did you guys get enough to eat?" Sabriena asked.

Tien nodded.

"Goku?"

Goku rubbed his full belly and nodded. "That was so good! Thank you, Sabriena! Oh my god. I'm so full."

Sabriena smiled and looked out the window. "Oh, it's starting to snow already! Tien, could you go check and make sure I shut the chicken coop?"

Tien set his cup on the table, "Yup."

No sooner had he left the cabin than Sabriena bolted from the table and ran to the hope chest at the foot of the bed. "Goku! Come here, quick! I wanna show you something!"

Goku groaned as he sat up straighter and got up, walking over to Sabriena and dropping next to her, looking into the chest. He cast a glance over his shoulder at the door, " what's up?" He felt a spark of playfulness surge thought him, like they were two little kids up to no good.

She hauled a heavy wad of material out of the chest and unfolded it on the bed. It was a patchwork quilt, made of animal pelts. White, brown, grey and black, the quilt was big enough to cover the entire bed. "I just finished it! Tien had a bunch of pelts from hunting that he hadn't used, so I sewed them into a quilt for him. Feel it! It's so soft. Do you think he'll like it?"

Goku trailed his hands over the quilt, it was soft extremely and wonderfully warm. "You made this? It's beautiful. Sabriena, he is going to love this." It was a beautiful gift; he'd never seen a more perfect gift for Tien.

She beamed. A movement outside the window caught her attention. "Oh shit, he's coming!" she whispered and quickly folded the quilt back up and stuffed it into the chest, just as Tien walked in the cabin. She sat on the chest and smiled at him. "Hi honey."

"Hiiiii," he said slowly, staring at Sabriena and Goku at the end of the bed. "What are you guys doing?"

"Oh, just, ah, you know..." Sabriena stammered. She looked at Tien's boots, which were covered in snow. "Oh my gosh! That snow's coming down fast!" She jumped up and grabbed Goku's wrist pulling him towards the door. She linked arms with Tien and marched both of them towards the door. "Let's go play!" she giggled.

Goku barely had time to grab his coat off of the table, pulling it on as he looked around outside. It was beautiful, a pristine white blanket over everything. It landed in his hair, spotting it white. He laughed with Sabriena as she dragged them outside. Her giggle was addictive, bubbly, and he couldn't stop himself from joining her.

Sabriena had a devilish look in her eye as she let go of them. She walked to the center of the yard, her arms outstretched and tipped her face to the sky and spun in a circle. "It's beautiful!" she smiled. The snow was pouring down in huge flakes, sticking in her long blonde hair. _SMACK! _ Sabriena jumped and screamed as the snowball hit her back.

Tien was snickering, his fingers coated with snow.

"TIEN SHINHAN!" Sabriena shouted. "Oh, it's so on!" She bent and scooped up a handful of snow as Tien laughed and reached for another.

Goku laughed and yelped when a snowball whizzed past his ear and was shocked when a second one smacked his nose. He grinned at them both, quickly leaning down and scooping up the snow, flinging it at them before they had a chance to strike.

Sabriena screamed and ran as Goku aimed another snowball at her.

Tien laughed as the snowball he threw smacked into Goku's shoulder, then turned and ran when Goku rounded on him.

They didn't know how long they ran around in that snow, laughing and shouting like children until they were doubled over, struggling to catch their breath. Sabriena grabbed Tien around the middle and fell backwards into the snow with him. "Snow angel!" she laughed, swinging her arms through the snow.

He laughed at her as he lay to her side, giving in to the playfulness and mimicking her movements.

"You too!" she cried, reaching up and grabbing Goku's belt, pulling him back into the snow with a grunt as he grabbed wildly at the air, trying to prevent his fall.

It was hopeless, of course, as gravity took over and he fell back to lay next to them in the snow. It didn't seem so cold now and Goku laughed as he mimicked Sabriena's arm and leg movements at her insistence. His hand brushed against hers and he laughed turning his head to look at the snow angels. "Your snow angel is touching my snow angel. It looks like they're holding hands!"

She laughed as she looked over at him. "Our angels are in love!" she laughed.

"Oh, and what's that make my angel?" Tien snickered.

"Yours is the booty-call on the side," Sabriena teased and Tien fell back in the snow, laughing.

Goku laughed more with them, their voices mixing with the quiet world around them, giving it substance. Goku's breath hitched as he felt something, but he clamped his mouth shut. No... it... that couldn't be what he was feeling. Definitely not. He smiled over at them both, "I don't want to call it a day, but I guess I'd better head home."

"Awwww," Sabriena whined. "But we're having fun!"

He smiled sadly at her and then at Tien, "I'll come back in a few days, maybe some time after the party? We'll see if we have better luck training then. Hopefully Tien will get some rest too!" Goku felt terrible at the happy butterflies in his stomach. He couldn't understand it and he needed to get home to his mate. Perhaps Chichi was in a better mood and wanted to see him, maybe that's where this feeling was coming from.

"Take care, Goku," Tien said. "We'll see you at the party." He got to his feet and offered Goku a hand, pulling him up.

Sabriena hopped up, brushing the snow from her jeans. "I had fun today." She smiled up at Tien, "I think you did too."

He looked down at her, "You're silly."

Goku smiled at Tien and Sabriena. "It was fun! We'll have to do it again! Thanks for everything guys. I'll see you at the party!" He waved goodbye before he pressed his fingers to his forehead and vanished.

Tien shook his head at the spot in the snow where Goku had vanished.

Sabriena stepped closer to him and wrapped her arms around his waist. "What's wrong, handsome?"

He sighed and pulled her closer, wrapping his cloak around her. "I feel bad for Goku. Chichi has him sleeping on the couch permanently now."

"Chichi makes him sleep on the couch?" Sabriena asked. "All the time?!" She pouted. "That's not fair."

Tien looked at the snow angels on the ground and the one that had Goku's distinct hair, frowning at it. He turned them around and walked them back inside. "I've never really cared for Chichi, but Goku's head over heels in love with her."

"But WHY?" Sabriena demanded. "Tien, she's horrible, and you know it. I just don't understand how someone like him could end up with someone like her!"

Tien shrugged and pushed the door closed behind him. "I wish I knew. I wish there was something I could do for him, but he's just so stubborn. You know how he is. Hopelessly optimistic. I think he's holding on to the hope that she'll come around, but it kind of looks like he's fighting an uphill battle on this one."

Sabriena sighed sadly and stepped closer to Tien, playing with the front of his shirt. She looked up at him, her hazel eyes worried. "We'll never be like that, right?"

He reached down and tilted her head up too look into her eyes; he loved those eyes. The moment she had taken out those god awful green contacts, he had fallen into those eyes and never came back. "Never," he stated simply. It was the truth. The thought of doing that to her or the thought of her doing that to him twisted his insides up and made him sick to think about it. He pulled her close, wrapping her into a warm hug, kissing the top of her head before leaning his own on top of it, staring into the fire that had died down a little while they were outside.

"I love you," she whispered fiercely, hugging his waist as tight as she could. She couldn't imagine being so cold to the man she loved. That wasn't love. People who loved one another didn't do things like that to each other. "I love you, Tien," she repeated.

He smiled, hearing those simple words made his heart skip and warmed him better than any fire. "I love you too, Sabriena." He leaned back and cupped her face with a hand, his thumb stroking over her cheek bone when she leaned into the touch. How lucky he had been, all those months of waiting for this - it had been worth it. Every second had been worth it. He leaned down and caught her lips in a tender kiss.

She kissed him back slowly, passionately, his hand cupping her face, his other arm pulling her to him. She'd never felt so safe and loved. Slowly they broke apart and she smiled at him, reaching up to hold his hand against her face. "Come here," she said and led him over to the fireplace, pushing him to sit on the floor. She quickly tossed a couple logs in the fire and prodded at it until the flames licked up and she sat next to him, leaning against his side, sighing contentedly.

Tien smiled, loving every minute of his life with her. He opened up his arms, holding the bear cloak away from his body and ushered her in with him, seating her in front of him, he wrapped the cloak back around them both, his arms going around her and he stared into the fire, letting the heat of the fire thaw them out. It was rather comfortable there on the floor. He suppressed a yawn; barely a day of work and he was tired. He would blame that on the snow. It made everything seem sluggish once all the fun had been had.

They spent the rest of the afternoon and most of the evening together there on the floor, talking about everything under the sun, stealing long kisses and enjoying contented moments of silence, happy with just being together. All they needed was each other. She made them a late supper and they crawled into bed, falling asleep quickly in each other's arms.

* * *

Author's Note: Just thought I'd take a moment to comment on some of the reviews. First of all, thank you Amkula for being such an awesome reviewer! You always take the time to comment on all the chapters and it is appreciated!

GreenSaiyan – I'm glad someone noticed! Everyone's attention is on Goku and no one (not even his parents) seem to notice how Goten's being affected. This will be addressed more down the road.

Rinpup – Your comments crack me up.

Guests – Yes, I suppose this is an AU. The Buu saga doesn't happen in our stories and after the Cell games, Goku wasn't dead for those 7 years. Also, there is a bigger age gap between Gohan and Goten. There are other details we've changed as well, I've left comments about this in my profile if you'd like to read more.

– Glad you're enjoying the story!

Anyone commenting about Chichi – If you feel that we are bashing Chichi, then you probably won't enjoy the rest of this story or any of the future ones we're planning on posting. SPOILER ALERT: Chichi eventually has a turn around, but it is not for a very, very long time (as in, 20 years down the road from now) and she continually gets worse throughout this series before she gets better. I'm serious. She gets much, MUCH worse.

As always, thank you all so much for reading my stories! Please leave me a review, it gives me so much more motivation to keep working and posting faster updates! I am a shameless review whore.


	27. Blessed by the Fates

Tien's shoulders rose and fell heavily as he struggled to catch his breath in the hot, dusty air. He could feel the little rivers of sweat rolling down the back of his neck, the sun beating down on him, the weight of the armor on his shoulders. The din of battle was all around him – swords clashing, battle cries, energy waves… He didn't know how he'd come to this place, he couldn't even remember seeing his friends, but somehow he just knew they were there. He felt fear grip his heart in a way he had never felt before. Where was Sabriena?

His eyes scanned his surroundings, his vision better than most, and still he could not see her. He ran through the thick dust and smoke, jumping over broken and bloodied bodies, searching, searching, searching… A bloodcurdling scream rent the air and he recognized the voice immediately.

"SABRIENA?!" he yelled, turning towards the sound of her scream.

He ran for all he was worth, praying to the gods that she was okay. He skidded to a stop in the shadow of a Saiyan, his heart shattering into a million pieces at the sight before him. It was his beloved, lying flat on her back, her dead eyes staring straight at him, a gaping hole in her chest. The Saiyan stood over her, holding her dripping, still-beating heart in his hand, smiling viciously at Tien as he raised the bloody organ to his mouth, sinking his teeth into it…

"NOOOOOO!"

Tien woke with a start, flying up in bed, sweat dripping down the side of his face even though the temperature was freezing. He blinked around the darkened cabin, his gaze falling to Sabriena, his hand reaching out to touch her shoulder, making sure she was there and his mind wasn't playing tricks on him. "Oh gods!" he sobbed, gathering her sleeping form in his arms, shaking violently as he held her. He remembered now. That was what he kept seeing every night as he tried to sleep. That was what kept waking him up in a cold sweat, making him thrash about and scream. That Saiyan, killing the love of his life; a Saiyan who looked so much like Goku.

"Oh baby," he whispered, kissing her cheek, tears dripping down his nose. "You're alive. You're alive." He kissed her again and again, sniffling and wiping at his eyes with his wrist, taking deep breaths until he calmed himself down.

It was too cold in the cabin for his liking and he didn't feel like he could sleep anymore at the moment anyway. He shuddered and moved to get up, raking the coals of the fire and adding an extra log or two until it was blazing once again.

Sabriena rolled over in bed and reached for Tien, jumping and sitting up when she realized he wasn't there. She saw him at the fireplace, a worried expression on his face and she frowned. He'd been doing this so often, it was starting to scare her. She drew her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around her shins. "Did you have another nightmare, baby?" she asked softly. She was so worried about him, the nightmares that happened every night, dreams he couldn't remember...

He nodded, not looking at her while he composed himself. He hated these nightmares, hated that they plagued his dreams and corrupted his view of things. He stood up and went back to bed, wordlessly pulling her into his arms, curling around her as if he could protect her from those dreams, prevent those dreams from becoming reality.

She looked worriedly up at him, staring into his dark eyes, seeing the fear still there, a haunted look to them, the wetness as if he had been crying. Had he been crying? She'd never seen him cry before. Nor had she ever seen him this distraught. "Tien, you're shaking," she said, sliding her arms around him. "Do... do you remember what your dream was about this time?" Part of her hoped that he did so that she could help him figure out how to make the dreams stop, the other part of her hoped he didn't because she wasn't sure she wanted to know what could make him so fearful. "Talk to me, baby."

He nodded, not wanting to lie to her, but he didn't want to share that dream with her. He didn't want to lose her. EVER. He had to do something. There had to be something he could do to ensure that he would never be without her. He couldn't wait any longer. "Sabriena, I want to marry you, if you'll have me," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. He pulled back and drew a hand through her hair, cupping her cheek and looking into those honey colored eyes. Gods, he could stare into those eyes for days on end. He didn't know what he would do if he ever woke up and she wasn't there. "I think I would die without you here with me."

She smiled at him. "I already said I'd marry you, silly," she smiled, her heart fluttering again. Her expression turned serious as she saw the intensity of his gaze. "I can't be without you either, Tien. I can't imagine my life without you now." She leaned into his touch for a moment before she pressed her lips softly to his, savoring the moment. She pulled back and stared at him for a moment. "Do you... I mean... if you're sure you want me as your wife... are you saying to want to get married soon? I don't need anything fancy. When do you want to do it?" she asked.

Tien could have been knocked over with a feather at her words, that she didn't need anything fancy... just him. He shook his head, not knowing what to day. "As soon as we can. Tomorrow if you want, we can go to town, have it officiated or whatever it is. I don't know. All I know is I can't stand the thought of being without you." He looked at her. "I just know, I don't want to lose you. The ice that you fell into, these dreams... they are showing me just how much I need you. It's more than that, though," he went on. "I… I want to bind my life to yours. If you leave this world, I want to go with you. I don't want to live without you."

Sabriena's heart was hammering against her ribs as she listened to his words. "I feel the same," she answered softly. "All we have is each other. If one of us were to fall in battle, I don't want to be separated from you."

Tien kissed her, wondering if such a thing was possible. He pulled her tight to his chest, listening to her breathing, feeling her heartbeat as its rhythm started to match his own. Something was happening and he couldn't explain it. All he knew was that he didn't want to be parted from her by death for even one second.

"How about right now?" she asked in a whisper, her eyes dancing. She was so excited, she thought her heart might burst. "You know, I saw this movie one time where they didn't really have anyone who could do a ceremony and they didn't want to wait. So they just said 'I marry you' three times and, well, that was it. They considered themselves husband and wife," she said. She gazed intently into his eyes, touching his face, soothing her thumb across his cheek. "We make our own rules, Tien. If you'll have me, I'll marry you right here. Right now. I will bind my life to yours."

He blinked at her, the offer sounding incredible and he loved it. He moved back a little bit, looking her over, his white shirt hanging off of her small frame as they both sat up, holding hands. "That's a beautiful wedding dress you're wearing," he said, with all sincerity. Could it really be that simple? He looked at her, cupping her face in his hands, looking deeply into her eyes and speaking from the bottom of his heart with all the intensity and passion he could muster, "Sabriena, I marry you… I marry you… I marry you."

Sabriena nearly swooned at the passion in his voice, the way he said the words so intensely. This was happening... really happening... The man who had taken her in as a student, who became her friend, who saw the real her when no one else would, who she was now head over heels in love with, was now going to become her husband. Her hands shook as she reached up and pulled his hands down to her chest, right above her heart, entwining her fingers with his. She stared into his eyes, her own eyes dancing with passion and fire for him. "Tien, I marry you... I marry you... I marry you."

Tien couldn't explain it, a joy in his chest, something in him clicked and he knew… he just KNEW that they were married, that their lives were eternally bound to one another. They didn't need anyone else to tell them that they were married, didn't need some silly piece of paper to make it official, because when it came down to it, their opinion was the only one that mattered. He swallowed and smiled at her. Married. He was married. "Well then, Sabriena Shinhan, let me kiss the bride," he breathed before he leaned forward and caught her lips with his, lightly at first but then he pulled her to him in a crushing kiss.

Sabriena's eyes nearly teared at the name. Sabriena Shinhan. Oh, the very sound of it sent a chill up her spine, made butterflies dance in her stomach, and her heart swoop all at the same time. She returned his kiss with all the passion she could muster, sliding her tongue against his, feeling like she could absolutely scream for joy. This was wonderful. She couldn't remember a moment in her life when she was so ridiculously happy. She wrapped her arms around his neck, her leg hooked over his thigh, pressing her body to his. She finally broke the kiss, gasping for air, and she laughed, wiping away a happy tear. "I love you, Tien. I love you more than life itself. You make me so happy," she smiled, trying not to let any more tears slip from her eyes. She gave a little giggle. "I guess this technically makes this our wedding night."

Tien chuckled against her, a goofy smile seemingly permanent on his face as he gazed at his wife. His _wife_. Gods, that sounded amazing. "You're right. And I think you are overdressed," he said as he reached for her shirt, sliding his hands under the shirt and lifting it off of her, gazing lovingly at her as if seeing her for the first time all over again. He shivered and moved to push her back, bracing himself above her and leaning down to capture her lips again, slipping his tongue inside of that hot cavern of her mouth, tasting the honeysuckle and spice. His hands roamed over her curves, pausing to cup her breast, flicking at a hardening nipple.

Sabriena gave a soft moan, arching her chest up into his touch. She was already shaking, the excitement of being married to the most amazing man she'd ever met making her dizzy with happiness. She wrapped her arms around him, lightly drawing her nails over the strong muscles of his back, kissing her way along his jaw to suck at his throat, determined to leave a hickey there. Her lips pulled back from his neck and she smirked at the fresh red mark before she gazed up into his eyes. "Make love to me, my husband," she said softly, drawing her leg up his thigh, lifting her hips against his hard length.

Oh by the gods... "You are driving me crazy girl." He couldn't describe how he felt in that moment. Beyond happy, so amazed that it was that simple, that he was now married and he didn't have to get dressed to do it, contrary to everything he'd heard, been brought up to believe. And this woman, this remarkable woman who had captured his heart, was now his wife, giving up so much to be with him. He hissed as he felt her sucking on his neck, the spot throbbing deliciously as she pulled back from it and he smiled at her. Leaning over her and grasping her leg, pulling it around his waist, he slowly pushed into her, trying to make the moment last. Stars popped before his eyes at her tightness. "Gods, you are so amazing..." He leaned down to her neck in retaliation and sucked a hickey of her own to life.

A long, slow moan issued from Sabriena's lips as Tien's hot mouth closed on her neck and his long, thick cock slid into her body. She thought she could've just laid there like that for eternity, just holding each other, their bodies joined in the most intimate way possible, symbolizing the joining of their lives. It was perfect. Absolutely perfect. She couldn't believe that he had accepted her into his life, not with the way she had been when they'd first met. But she knew that wasn't who she was anymore. She'd changed and it was only with his help that she was now someone who she truly liked. She kissed at his chest, right above his heart, feeling his heartbeat against her lips. She couldn't get enough of him and wrapped her other leg around his waist, trying to draw more of him into her even though they were already hip to hip, trying to meld her body with his. She thrust her hips slowly against his, wanting this to last all night. It wasn't about the sex, it wasn't about getting each other off, this was about love - pure and simple. Sealing their marriage through the joining of their bodies as a new bond formed between them.

Tien sighed happily, not wanting to pull out of her to thrust in, so he pressed deeper, long slow thrusts that made him pant, groan and moan into her hair. He felt like this was right, and damn anyone who said that they weren't married. She was his and he was hers. He could feel it, the connection between their hearts, their souls. And he knew in that moment that their lives were one.

Sabriena couldn't believe how gentle he was, the passion behind his every slow, deliberate movement making her tremble. She let him take her hands in his, entwining their fingers together as he stared into her eyes. The connection between them was growing strong, stronger than anything they'd ever experienced before. The pleasure each received was nothing compared to what they felt from pleasing each other. It was a bonding, slow, rhythmic, almost spiritual as they moved together, never looking away or closing their eyes as they made love.

Tien leaned his forehead against her, feeling her body holding him so deeply, so securely that it stole his breath away. He pressed deeper into her, feeling the climax building, his pulse pounding in his ears. "My wife," he whispered, "come with me."

Sabriena wrapped her legs tighter around his waist, feeling their orgasm building. She clenched down on him, trying to milk his body with her own as the orgasm took her. "Oh, Tien!" she gasped, gently bucking up against him.

Tien pushed deeply into her and finally stilled inside of her, buried hip deep inside her body as he groaned out his release. "Sabriena!" he moaned as he came, his nerves on fire; oh the bliss that this was, not the pleasure, but the thought of knowing they had consummated their bond, their marriage. The bond between them was almost tangible, their hearts beating in unison, their lives becoming one in every way possible. There were no fancy words, no rituals, no incantations spoken, but there it was, as real as it could be.

Sabriena held him as he came, his body so entwined with hers, kissing at his trembling shoulder, her arms wrapped tightly around him. Her eyes rolled in her head as she felt his hot cum filling her body, nearly triggering a second orgasm. She waited for him to relax before she grabbed his face and kissed him. "You are amazing," she breathed. "And I'm so lucky I have you for my husband."

He relaxed against her, not wanting to separate from her just yet. "No, you are amazing," he gasped, "wife... I am so lucky to have you, that someone like you would be able to fall in love with me..."

Sabriena couldn't stop the happy tears in her eyes as she stared at her new husband and whispered, "You will never lose me."

Tien pressed a kiss to her cheek, her lips, her eyes, kissing her tears away before he rested his head on her shoulder, whispering back against her ear, "Nor you I." He was so happy in that moment, he couldn't resist the urge to tease her. He chuckled, "don't think that this gets you out of training, though."

"Yes, it does," she answered playfully as she kissed at his chest again. She paused and looked up at him, batting her eyes. "You're not gonna make me train on our honeymoon, now are you?" She squeezed his softening cock with her body, giving a little giggle when he jumped.

Tien chuckled and rolled over, pulling her on top of him. "I might." He laughed at the expression on her face. "I suppose I can be persuaded." He moaned softly as she squeezed him again, purring in her ear, "You insatiable little minx."

She smiled at him, clenching her body around him over and over as her mouth found his nipple. She held it lightly between her teeth, flicking her tongue rapidly over it as her hand went to the other one, teasing it with her nails. "I can't help it," she breathed against his chest as she nibbled at him. "You make me this way." She gave a soft moan as she felt him harden within her again. Oh this man, this wonderful, amazing man... She rocked her hips over him, slow and determined, still amazed at the sheer size of him, how he seemed to hit every sensitive spot in her body without even trying. "I just want to please you as much as I can," she whispered.

He moaned as she rocked on him and he pulled her down, seating her as deeply onto him as possible. He would be content if she just stayed like that on him, teasing his nipples, holding his body within her own. He reached up to massage and tease her breasts. "Let's just stay like this all night."

"Yessss," she purred, nuzzling into his chest, slowing her movements, each press forward of her hips was slow, concentrated. "You make me so happy," she murmured, giving a contented sigh as she rocked on him. "Can't we just stay like this forever? Just hide out here away from the world."

Tien chuckled, "it's what I came out here to do, but you see how well the world leaves us alone." He snuggled against her, wrapping his arms around her, still reeling over the fact that he was married. He had a wife.

"One of these days," she said, clenching around him again, panting ever so slightly, licking at his chest. "One day... there will be peace..." She could've fallen asleep like that, her husband's arms around her, lying on his strong chest, their bodies connected.

Tien held her tightly to him as they moved together, neither one feeling the need to rush. Over and over they brought each other to orgasm, nurturing the new bond between them, making it stronger. All they needed, all they would ever need, was each other. There were hardly any words to be spoken for it was as if they were sharing the same thoughts, the same feelings. The merging of their lives becoming complete.

Sabriena finally laid over Tien's chest, both of them content and sated, loving the warmth of his embrace.

"Stay like this," he murmured in her ear as he pulled the quilts up over them. "Just like this."

Sabriena nodded, her eyes heavy as she held her husband, their bodies still joined together. She rested her cheek on his chest, listening to the sound of his heartbeat, which was still in perfect time with her own. She could feel his emotions as if they were her own, could feel the fear calming, his heart soothing from the memories of the nightmares. And she knew in that moment that just exactly how strong their bond was and that nothing could ever break it.

* * *

Tien awoke the next morning, blinking at the harsh sunlight, a strange sensation on his hand. Had last night really happened? He breathed a sigh of relief at the weight of Sabriena on his chest as he realized that it was not a dream. He smiled lovingly at her as she slept, running his fingers through her silky blonde hair. He jumped, his hand freezing as the sun glinted off of something shiny. He slowly raised his hand to his face, staring in wonder at the simple gold band around his finger. "What the…"

Sabriena drew a long breath through her nose as she blinked awake, hearing her new husband voicing his wonder aloud. "What's wrong?"

"Did… did you do this?" he asked softly, showing the ring to her.

Sabriena sat straight up, still straddling his hips, and stared at the gold band. "No," she answered, taking his hand in both of hers to examine it. "I don't-" but her sentence was cut off as she saw a similar gold band on her own finger as well. "Tien, look."

He moved to sit up, holding her in his lap as he looked at her matching wedding band. "I don't understand."

Sabriena's mind was spinning. "The Fates," she said. She looked at him then, her face lighting up, her eyes dancing with excitement. "Tien, the Fates blessed our marriage, just like they did for Jenny and Piccolo!"

"Do what?" he asked, his mind spinning.

"When Jenny and Piccolo were married, the Fates made wedding rings just appear on their hands," she explained. "And now they've done the same for us!"

"Oh wow," he breathed, looking at her ring and then back at his. "Well," he laughed, "I guess it's official."

"And that means we're officially on our honeymoon," she said, wagging her eyebrows at him before she suddenly tackled him, making him fall back against the pillows and roar with laughter.


	28. Sweet Dreams

**Warning: This chapter is a dream sequence that contains yaoi. If that's not your thing, you can skip it without missing much of the plot in this story or future ones.**

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A smirk pulled at Vegeta's lips as he slowly circled the other Saiyan, his eyes roaming over the other's body, taking in the delicious sight of the moonlight shining off the carved muscles. It didn't take much to imagine what the rest of his body would look like in that same light. He could see the noticeable bulge in the front of Goku's orange pants, the way he trembled, his chin tucked to his chest as he stared at the ground, refusing to look at the moon. "Don't tell me you're nervous, Kakarot."

Gods that voice. And in the moonlight it just made Goku shiver all the more. This was a different expenditure of energy than when they had sparred under the full moon. He looked over at Vegeta, his mouth watering already, he almost didn't know what to expect and it heightened his arousal. The thought of the other Saiyan claiming him in the light of the full moon, with his tail made him tremble. He bit his lip and shook his head. No. He couldn't show weakness.

Vegeta slowed to a stop, stripping away his shirt, flexing his muscles as he cast it aside. He could feel his need for dominance rising up in him, making his length twitch and harden against the restrictive fabric of his dark jeans. He peeled away his gloves before running an open hand over the front of his pants, palming the bulge there, a shiver of pleasure shooting up his spine. The tip of his tail twitched excitedly as his hands went to his belt, unbuckling it, never tearing his eyes away from the younger Saiyan who seemed almost frozen to the spot. "No need to be shy," he smirked as he unbuttoned his jeans, not pulling them down just yet.

Goku's heart was pounding. How could Vegeta be so bold like that? He felt naked before Vegeta already with him staring at him with that piercing gaze, the almost playful tone in his voice, with that dominating command laced in it. He could smell Vegeta, the musky, spicy scent that was his own, the heady scent of his arousal. He let his eyes flicker to the bulge pressing out against the unzipped fabric, twitching occasionally, begging to be released. He could see a wet drop where the other's precum was spilling from. With a whimper, Goku let his own hands remove his sash and his pants fell down to pool between his legs. He glanced up at Vegeta, the moon pressing down on him, setting his blood boiling. He looked again to the bulge, licking his lips.

A grin split Vegeta's face as he watched Goku draw his tongue over his lips. He suddenly wanted nothing more than to plunge his cock into that hot mouth, to make Goku suck him to completion, to voice his dominance over the other Saiyan. His eyes drifted lower, lingering over the impressive length of Goku's shaft. His jeans unzipped, still clinging to his hips, he strode over to Goku, hungrily drinking in the sight of the other man. "I want you naked," he said, grabbing Goku's shirts and pulling them over his head, dropping them to the ground behind him. He stood there for several minutes, his eyes roaming over the muscular flesh before him, the lightly tanned skin. He reached up, threading his fingers into Goku's unruly spikes of hair before gripping it tightly and using it to force the other man to his knees. "Get these clothes off me," he ordered, his voice low and quiet, but forceful. "Then I will decide if you are worthy enough to receive the royal seed of your prince."

Goku's cock gave a twitch as he was forced to the ground, his face even with Vegeta's still clothed cock. His heart raced at the words, the implication of what Vegeta expected him to do. He moved carefully, drawing down the jeans over the tight muscles, helping Vegeta step out of them, leaving him gloriously naked in front of him. He cast a glance up at Vegeta, but was halted when he saw the moon over his shoulder. A ragged moan was pulled from his lips as his blood was set on fire. He turned his attention back to the task at hand, moving forward and licking at the bobbing cock in front of him, moaning wantonly around the flesh.

Vegeta tipped his head back, hissing in pleasure, consciously keeping his eyes squeezed shut in the light of the full moon. He looked back down at Goku, the way he lightly licked at the hot flesh, his movements uncertain. He could feel the nervousness from the other man and it excited him all the more. One hand still tangled in Goku's hair, the other went to cup his chin, pulling it to open Goku's mouth. "Suck it," he commanded slipping the head of his cock into that hot cavern, moaning loudly as he pressed himself further in, trying to get Goku to take all of his length in one go.

Goku's eyes went wide as Vegeta's cock slipped into his mouth, all the way to the hilt. He almost gagged, trying to pull back, but Vegeta's hand held him steady and he had no choice but to relax his jaw and accept the length in his mouth. Goku swallowed nervously around the thick flesh in his mouth, unable to stop the moan that issued from his throat. There was something wrong with him. He was so hot, his own member throbbing between his legs, hard and aching, leaking precum at the tip that shined in the moonlight. He ached, body and soul like he had never felt before. This should be wrong, he shouldn't want it as badly as he did. Gods though, the scent Vegeta was emitting was intoxicating. He wanted it. He swallowed more around Vegeta's cock, the immense size should have been more than he could take, but he suckled him down, moaning around him. It was... oh gods help him, it was wonderful. The spicy scent was amplified and he could taste the salty drops of precum. His jaw ached the other Saiyan was so big. His own length throbbed as he closed his lips around the base of the length, his nose buried in the soft curls at the base.

"Good bitch," Vegeta sneered as he began to thrust into that willing mouth at a steady pace, his fingers wrapped around the ebony locks, pulling the other man's face to his body again and again. A sneer appeared on his lips at the way Goku eagerly sucked at him, letting his length slip down his throat. "Suck it. Suck it hard." A soft groan escaped his lips at the strong pull of Goku's mouth. He held the other man tightly by the hair, leisurely thrusting his cock down his throat. Gods, he loved this. "Impressive, Kakarot," Vegeta smirked in a patronizing tone. "You're better at this than I thought you would be. Who knew you would want it so bad?" To dominate Goku was incredible and Vegeta's mind started to go through all the things he wanted to do to him. The night was very young; they had plenty of time. He tipped his head back and hissed as Goku gave a particularly hard suck, nearly making Vegeta's knees go weak. "Oh, you want it, don't you?" he purred. "You want to taste your prince."

Goku whimpered and nodded, his head bobbing over Vegetas flesh, he could feel his own cock dripping at the act. Gods, there was something liberating about being controlled, about someone else taking the lead while he followed. He swallowed around Vegeta's cock, wanting more of that delicious liquid. His hands came up to Vegetas backside, massaging the muscles there, clenching with his hands, kneeding. He whimpered again when he felt Vegeta's cock twitch. Goku didn't know what was happening, he mistimed one of Vegeta's thrusts and tried to pull away, gagging. He was offered only a small respite, the tip of the cock pressing against his cheek as he opened his mouth and gasped for air before it was shoved back in again. This was wrong. This was so wrong. What about Bulma? Goku was married, he shouldn't want this, but he wanted it so much. His prince's pleasure was his own. His cock throbbed again, his precum leaking freely down his shaft, coating it with his essence. He moaned around the stiff flesh in his mouth. "Pwease... vegeta...pwe," he gagged and had to hold on as the thrusts increased and he had to focus on swallowing around the flesh in his mouth, moaning at the fresh salty taste on his tongue.

"Please? Please?" Vegeta answered in a mocking tone. "Oh, you want it, don't you?" He only increased his pace, watching in satisfaction as Goku tried to keep up. He pulled harder at the other man's hair. "You like it when I fuck your mouth, don't you? You like the taste of your prince's cock." Vegeta was indecisive; should he come in the other man's mouth? Or should he wait and spill his load in the other's ass? He shrugged to himself. He could do both. His senses heightened in the full moonlight, Vegeta could smell Goku's arousal. His tail drifted down between Goku's legs, the tip of it running up the length of the hard shaft, ever so lightly teasing it. He smiled at the shiver that ran through his new lover's body and his cock swelled, aching deliciously for just a moment as Vegeta roughly pulled Goku's face over his cock again and again, fucking his mouth. Breathing heavily through clenched teeth, his cock swelling, Vegeta commanded, "Suck it, Kakarot. Suck it all out." He came with a grunt, slamming Goku's face against his hips, impaling his cock down the other man's throat, shooting his hot seed with great force as he shook and groaned at the sensation.

Goku sucked hard, feeling the other man's cock swell in his mouth, pumping thick, ropy strands of cum across his tongue. He hadn't been expecting it so soon, some spilling out around his lips, dripping down his chin. He swallowed as much as he could, his body aching for some kind of release, the taste of Vegeta on his tongue only making him ache harder. It should have been awkward, but he didn't care. He couldn't remember the last time he was this hard.

Vegeta slowed his thrusts, coming to a stop and shivering in the moonlight. He snapped his hips back, tearing his cock from Goku's mouth with an obscene pop. "Not bad," he smiled, dragging his thumb over the other man's lips, wiping up the bits of cum that had escaped. He slipped his thumb into Goku's mouth, making him suck the digit clean. "I assume that was your first time sucking cock?" He could tell by the furious blush on Goku's cheeks that it was. He leaned down, his lips lightly grazing the edge of Goku's ear. "There are so many firsts you are going to experience before this night is out," he said huskily. "Now bend over."

Goku couldn't stop shivering, Vegeta's thumb in his mouth covered in his delicious essence. He never had even thought about another man in such away. He felt a grain of happiness in him that Vegeta didn't think he was gross or too clumsy to botch up such a simple act. He swallowed hard and still on the ground, bent over not knowing what to expect, but his cock twitching all the same in the warm air. Gods he was hard, he would do anything to get Vegeta to touch him. "Vegeta," He whimpered, "please..."

"Greedy whore," Vegeta snarled. He stretched, considering the man before him. Proud Kakarot, always the center of attention, the one everybody looked up to, admired, sitting on his knees, begging the prince of Saiyans to fuck him. It was too delicious. Vegeta's length was quickly hardening at the thought. He moved to kneel behind the taller Saiyan, running his hand appreciatively over the firm muscles of his ass. He drew the same thumb down that line, letting the tip wiggle inside for just the tiniest tease. He grabbed the cheeks of Goku's ass, spreading them to view the puckered flesh hidden between them, letting his length slide between them, teasing that hot ring of muscle as his shaft rubbed against it, still slick with Goku's saliva.

Goku moaned, his cock throbbing with a terrible ache. He needed to come; he needed to spill himself. He pushed himself back against Vegeta. He'd never before thought about another man like this. He knew he was going to be cast into the deepest pit of hell for wanting this, but gods above, he wanted it. He wanted it all. He whimpered and pushed himself back against Vegeta feeling the broad head pressing up against his tight entrance. "Vegeta," he gasped, his voice raspy, "fuck me. Please."

"That's right," he said, his cock hard and ready to go. "Beg your prince." He slapped a hand to Goku's ass, smirking at the red handprint that blossomed on his skin. "You like that, don't you?" He spanked him again, hitting him a little harder. "I want you bruised by morning. I want you to see these marks on your flesh and know it is I who left them, who claimed you, owns you..." He slapped his hand to the firm flesh again, letting his tail curl around the base of Goku's shaft, squeezing it hotly, moving to stroke just a few inches of it.

Goku gasped out at the feeling of that firm tail curling around his cock, "Oh gods," he cried, his head dropping to the ground. The pain faded to pleasure, the heat of the marks amplifying each hit more and more. His ass was stinging and no doubt red by now. His mouth was watering; he wanted so much more. His body weakly tried to thrust into the hold of Vegeta's tail on his cock, but it was like a vice. "Please Vegeta... I want it... Please fuck me, my Prince. You've always wanted me bowing before you." He lowered his head, laying it flat against the cool ground, looking back over his shoulder.

"Mmmmmm. Now there's a good little bitch," Vegeta purred. He spit into his hand, lubricating Goku's body a bit before grasping himself at the base of his cock, pressing the head against that impossibly tight band of muscles. "You might want to take a deep breath," he warned before he snapped his hips forward, driving himself into that incredible heat. A loud wanton moan escaped his lips as he gripped Goku's hips. Good gods, that was tight. His shoulders gave a violent shudder as he paused, a look of determination crossing his features and pulled the younger Saiyan back, slamming himself the rest of the way home. He smirked, watching Goku squirm as he pierced his body, his hips pressed against Goku's ass. His tail curled tighter around Goku's cock, wrapping around it twice... three times... squeezing it, stroking it at an excruciatingly slow pace. "You want your prince to fuck you?" he asked, withdrawing before slamming himself into him again. "Careful what you wish for," he growled and began to thrust deeply into Goku's body.

Goku let out a strangled scream as he was penetrated so deeply without much preparation. Vegeta's cock felt impossibly big inside of him, those hipbones of his greatest rival pressing up against his ass. Was it because of the full moon? He panted, moaning wantonly, sobbing out at the pleasure and pain. He could feel a hot liquid making Vegeta's thrust glide in more easily, smoother. The coppery tang in the air told him he must be bleeding. It only further heightened his arousal. Gods he wanted to come. He gasped and surprised himself as he found his own cock hardening even further. No, it shouldn't be like this, shouldn't be this good. He shouldn't want this. He should've been thrusting into a warm wet willing body; not being taken, claimed, but oooh, he couldn't find it in himself to argue that this felt beyond amazing. Vegeta's cock touched something deeply within him that made him see stars before his eyes and thrust back against the smaller man. Vegeta called him names, filthy words passed his lips and they only succeeded in turning him on further. He screamed as he felt himself turn super Saiyan in an effort to keep up with the brutal pace set by his prince, his cock leaking steadily into a puddle on the floor beneath him, the musky scent of sex started to permeate the air and further hardened him. "More. Hnnngh… please… more!"

"Such a greedy whore you are," Vegeta growled, giving Goku exactly what he asked for. He pounded his cock into the other Saiyan, stroking him with his tail. He loved to be begged for mercy or pleasure... it set his nerves on fire and made him feel alive like nothing else could. It was like a drug to him and he lost himself in it, listening to Goku's cries for more. Vegeta reached around and grabbed the base of Goku's cock, squeezing it tightly, stemming the flow of his come. "You don't come until I give you permission," he snarled. He pounded himself into the willing flesh before him, smirking at the control he had over the other man. The sound of skin slapping against skin, the wanting cries from Goku's voice, the way his hair flashed to gold... two could play at that game. Vegeta powered up, adding his own glowing aura to the dark night, his cock swelling, stretching Goku's ass even further. He quickened his pace. "You like that, don't you, you filthy whore? You love it when your prince fucks you. You love my cock in your ass."

Goku couldn't breathe, couldn't hardly move, his arms shaking at the feel of Vegeta's hand on his cock, preventing him from his release. He had been so close, SO CLOSE. He whimpered with his need, trying to buck into Vegeta's tail, trying to get more friction. Feeling Vegeta turn super Saiyan, he thought he was going to be ripped apart from the inside out. That already extraordinary cock in his ass expanded even further, stretching him to the brink of insanity. "Yes!" he gasped out, trying to buck back against him, trying to keep Vegeta to keep hitting that spot. Oh by the gods, he was so close, he could still feel himself leaking out over Vegeta's fingers. He lowered his head, looking down, seeing that strong muscled hand gripping his red cock, the soft tail milking liquid strands of his precum from the tip as every thrust from Vegeta made him ache. "Please Vegeta! More! Fuck me harder! Please come in me! Please let...Please let me come! I can't wait... PLEASE VEGETA!"

Vegeta gripped him harder, snarling the word, "NO." He pounded into Goku at a furious pace, feeling himself on the edge. The way Goku begged him to come inside his body, begged for his own release... He couldn't stop himself. His cock swelled and shot that burning hot liquid deep into Goku, filling him, leaking out around their connection. Vegeta roared with pleasure, throwing his head back. He gave his head a hard shake, trying to clear his mind from the orgasm. Goku was still whimpering, begging for release. Vegeta slapped a hand to his ass and began to pound into him again. "I am nowhere near done with you, bitch. And you don't come until I SAY YOU CAN!"

Goku was going to lose his mind, his only thought was of Vegeta and that hot thick cum pouring into his body and just when he thought he was finished, his prince shoved back inside of him with brutal force. Goku could feel his cum-filled hole oozing out around Vegeta as he set another ruthless pace, his cock already hardening again. It was beyond his reasonable thinking as Vegeta fucked him. He still wanted more after he came... it was unheard of. Goku felt a small smirk pulling at his lips; he made his Prince hard and aching. He bit his lip as he felt himself teetering on the edge, the sheer bliss at being fucked so thoroughly making him want to come again and again. He drew blood he bit so hard. He clenched his ass cheeks tightly around Vegeta's cock, loving the friction, the tightness, the heat. OH but by the gods he wanted to come, he was nearly sobbing for it. It had been so long since he had wanted to come like this. No one had ever made him feel this way. He loved it. It was wanton, lusty, raw, everything he had been craving deep down in his soul. He pushed back against Vegeta, timing their thrusts against each other so that when their hips met with that resounding slap, it reverberated around them, that cock going deeper and deeper within him. Heat pooled in his gut and his balls drew up tight against his body. It was so good. The moonlight on his back had him whimpering again and he grit out, "Harder Vegeta... Please… Harder," He pleaded, he begged. He didn't want to be able to walk tomorrow. He wanted to hurt, he wanted the pleasure that the pain brought with it.

Vegeta growled as Goku thrust back against him, taking him to the hilt, his body consuming every last inch of his cock. He lifted a leg, driving himself in harder, deeper. He could feel Goku's cock throbbing in his hand, the heat from it burning his palm as his tail stroked him faster. "You want to come, don't you?" Goku nodded, his eyes squeezed shut, panting against the ground. "Too bad," Vegeta whispered. "Maybe I should stop... Deny you your release completely... I'm not entirely sure you deserve it..." His pride swelled at the way his words made Goku whimper. "So pathetic, Kakarot." He moved his hand from Goku's hip to press at the scar on his lower back, making the younger man buck even harder against him. He leaned far over, his mouth a fraction of an inch from Goku's ear. "I own you." He gripped that steel-hard cock even tighter, listening to Goku's cry. "I have complete control over you... your body... You can't even come until _I_ decide..." He slowly slid his hand up the shaft, squeezing around the head, milking just a bit of the hot liquid out, coating his palm. His slid his hand back down to the base, holding him once more, still driving his own cock into that tight, wet hole. He could feel his own need for release building, that burning pooling in his gut... "You want to come for your prince? Fine then. But know it is at my hand. Only I bring you such pleasure... allow you to experience such carnal desires... You are mine." And with that he released his hold on Goku's cock, gripping his hips with both hands and slammed his cock deeper, harder, faster into the lower-class Saiyan. "Come for me," Vegeta finally demanded. "Come for your prince." He drove his cock into Goku's body with bone-shattering force, his tail rapidly stroking the other's cock as his own swelled and released another load of hot cum deep inside Goku's ass, a feral scream ripping from the prince's throat as he came.

Goku roared out as he felt Vegeta's hot essence splash deeply inside of his body. No sooner had the words fallen from Vegetas lips did Goku's vision go white as his orgasm washed over him. His cock was rock hard and it was so easy to let go, letting Vegeta's tail and cock bring him to orgasm. His mind went blank as the most mind blowing orgasm hit him, making his muscles seize up as he came. His power flared around him, every muscle in his body tensed and tightened. His ass clamped down so tightly on Vegetas cock, it was as if he was trying to draw the very last drop of the prince's seed into his own body. His own essence exploded from his cock with such force it splashed onto the ground and back upon his own body as he writhed and bucked helplessly under Vegeta. He was crying tears it was so good, the hot cum deep within his body, hot enough to burn him. Oh gods above help him, he wanted more. "Yours," he gasped out, his own cum still splurting from his cock with forceful need, as if he had never come before in his life. "Vegeta! More! Please fuck me harder! Please touch me!" He was ready to give his life over to him. He knew in an instant if the Saiyan prince asked it of him, he would do anything just to feel that completion again. His hair fell back to normal as he finished, his body spent and he fell forward, laying in his own cooling puddle of sticky come. Goku didn't still until the tremors in his body faded, his cock emptied.

Vegeta smirked as Goku fell forward, his length slipping from the taller man's body. He sat back on his heels, watching Goku's back rise and fall in sharp gasps as he panted for air, his cum leaking back out of Goku's body. "Look at you. The world's greatest hero, begging to be fucked... pleading for me to touch you..." he said in a condescending tone. Vegeta was breathing heavily as he gave Goku's hip a shove, forcing him to roll onto his back. A possessive growl rumbled in Vegeta's throat as he looked the other Saiyan's body over. He wanted to take him again, face to face, to see the world's hero crumble and give in to the pleasure he bestowed upon him. Goku's flesh was still hard, a thick drop of cum trickling down the side of it as he panted, trying to recover from the last orgasm. Vegeta smirked as he crawled on all fours over Goku's body, reaching down with one hand to tease the opening between his cheeks once again. He easily slid two fingers into him, feeling around... searching... A wicked grin came over his face as he found the firm bundle of nerves, twirling his fingers around and around it, watching eagerly as Goku keened and whimpered. He crooked his fingers, massaging the prostate, a narcissistic pride bubbling up inside him as a steady stream of thick white cum began to flow from Goku's cock.

Goku's lip trembled, he didn't know what to do. What to expect. It was so new to him. It wasn't what he knew at all. He couldn't stop himself, the cum flowing from his cock didn't want to stop as Vegeta's fingers worked his flesh in ways he didn't know that could be done. "You... You don't have to do ... anything else," he cried out, hips thrusting up as Vegeta pressed firmly at his words. His hands fisted in the earth below him before he brought a hand up, covering his eyes.

Vegeta cocked a curious eyebrow at Goku's words. "You want me to stop?" he asked, his voice indicating that he had absolutely no intention of stopping. "But your body says otherwise." He rubbed mercilessly at that sensitive spot, watching as Goku's groin became soaked with his own cum. Vegeta wrapped a rough hand around the throbbing shaft, giving it a harsh squeeze. "I wonder how much I can make you come," he mused, slipping a third finger in, coaxing even more from the tip of Goku's cock.

Goku keened, his body arching back as Vegeta inserted another finger. Gods above, that burned so good and Vegeta's callused hand on his length was heaven . He shook his head, gasping out, "No... please...please don't s-s-stop..." He pushed his hand up his face, fingers threading through his own hair and he looked at Vegeta, tears in his eyes. "Please don't stop. It's... I just ... never expected...more."

Vegeta had told Goku countless times that he needed to give in to his urges, to embrace the Saiyan he was. Now Vegeta intended to show him why. He lowered his head, inhaling the scent of Goku's sex, his own cock throbbing and aching to be buried inside that tight heat once again. His eyes flashed and without warning he bit at Goku's cock, a longing growl issuing from his throat as the other man screamed in pleasure. The hot, hard flesh twitched, cum splurting from the tip. "That's it. Come for your prince. You love this. You know you do." He nipped sharply at the shaft, leaving burning red marks along it. "Gods, I want to show you off. Show everyone what I can do to your body. Can you just imagine it?"

Goku didn't have time to think on Vegeta's words, the harsh nips at his cock only heightened the pleasure and he was screaming out as he came, his cock splurting with such force it splattered all over his chest. Good gods, he didn't think he had much more left after two amazing orgasms, but his body said differently with his cock still hard and his balls still tight and heavy. He felt his face burning as he realized Vegeta's words, showing him off. His cock throbbed at the idea; he was turned on and humiliated at the same time. What would everyone think? Goku's thoughts were drawn to a halt when Vegeta reminded him he still had three fingers in his ass. Gods, he wanted to be greedy. He wanted more. He looked up at the moonlight, moaning loudly before he dared to look at the prince, the dark eyes watching him, the smirk tugging at those lips. Goku groaned and reached up, catching Vegeta's jaw and pulling him down on top of him, crushing his lips to the other mans.

Vegeta's eyes went wide as Goku kissed him, taking control for just a moment, their tongues sliding together, the last hints of their essence still on their tongues. Vegeta pulled back, removing his fingers from Goku's body and grabbed both of his wrists, pinning them above his head. "You like that idea?" Vegeta asked in a husky voice, tightening his grip on Goku's wrists as he bit at his nipples. "Me putting you on display... ngh... letting everyone we know see what a good little whore you are..." Vegeta let his hair fall back to its natural black, still smirking at the other Saiyan who stared up at him with half-open eyes. His body was hardening again, drinking in the sight of Goku's nakedness, the blush on his face, his stomach, hips and thighs coated with his own cum. He moved to lay over him, his hard length pressing against Goku, Goku's cum-slicked body making it easy to grind and slide against him. He felt Goku's cock growing hard against his own as he leaned down and bit lightly at his neck. "Mmmmm... So Kakarot wants his prince again." He shifted his hips, angling his cock just right before he drove it forcefully into the other man, laying over his body, thrusting deeply into him. Vegeta's abs were coated in Goku's cum as he pressed their bodies together, trapping Goku's cock between them.

Goku keened, his back arching up to meet Vegeta's vicious thrusts.. Fast, hard, and deep. Pain was nothing, pain was everything, pain became the best pleasure he could think of and he was rock hard again. Vegeta's teeth biting sharply at him, his nipples sending jolts of pleasure down to his cock, which hadn't stopped leaking yet. His whole body was like a fuse lit up as if he hadn't just emptied his load all over himself. His body twitched, and his face was red as he looked down at Vegeta, looking up at him, "Yes." He whimpered. The thoughts of everyone looking at him… at them, together like this. It was supposed to be wrong, wasn't it? Something was off about the entire situation, but he had to have more. He felt like there was some connection, some need to be controlled, to be forced to do this, to let this man use him, put bruises on him, to make it hurt. "Oh gods Vegeta...please... I want more."

Vegeta licked at the cum on Goku's chest, his appetite growing. He could feel more essence leaking out against his abs as they rubbed against that hot cock, slicking their bodies. "Tell me, Kakarot," he breathed hotly. "Tell me how much you love it. Tell me I was right - you know you should've given in a long time ago." Even after being fucked and stretched around Vegeta's fingers, Goku's ass was still impossibly tight on his cock, clenching down on it, making it ache and burn from the heat of his body. "You love being fucked by your prince." Vegeta's eyes squeezed shut, holding off his orgasm, the fantasy burning strong in his mind, thinking of everyone watching him as he dominated the younger Saiyan.

Goku was sobbing from the pleasure. "Yes Gods yes! I want it. I want them to watch," he cried, surprising even himself. "They would all be so jealous, wishing they were as lucky as I am to please the Prince of Saiyans." His cock was torturously meshed between their bodies, Vegeta's cock huge in him, the full moon bearing down on them both. He moved, his legs, hooking him over Vegeta's shoulders bending himself in half as he threw his head back, screaming his pleasure.

Vegeta roared at the change of position, Goku's body becoming even tighter on his aching shaft. Oh gods, that was fucking amazing. Vegeta let go, pounding himself into Goku's ass with all the force he could, their bodies slapping together as they screamed out their pleasure. It was rough, raw, feral... Vegeta's breath came in heaving pants as he slammed himself balls deep into the willing flesh beneath him. He stared down at Goku, his hand sliding slowly up his chest to wrap around his throat, restricting the flow of air. He watched Goku's expression with rapt interest as he tightened his grip, pounding his cock deeply into his lover, exerting his dominance even more.

Goku should have felt frightened, scared, but it wasn't the case. The way Vegeta slammed into his body with such force, the way the rocks on the ground dug into his back. He was already gasping for breath, to have his airway cut off more just heightened his senses, narrowing down everything to the contact points where their bodies were joined so intimately. He caught Vegeta's eyes, seeing the calm reserve in there. The judging look, calculating. He moaned, gasping out, baring his teeth, as he howled his pleasure.

Vegeta tightened his grip a bit more, hearing the cries of passion from Goku's voice, feeling the vocal chords vibrate against his hand. A strange sensation washed over him, seeing the trust in Goku's eyes and Vegeta nearly lost it, his face screwing up as his balls drew up tightly against his body, his tail swishing back and forth in pleasure, his cock swelling... "Come with me, Kakarot!" he ordered, leaning hard over the other Saiyan, pumping his cum into him as yet another orgasm claimed him and stars popped in his vision from sheer pleasure.

Goku screamed as he came, his hair flashing to gold, his eyes to seafoam. He had never come so hard before in his life, he knew that for a fact. He felt his cock throbbing deliciously against Vegeta's chest as it swelled and shot hot sticky ropes of cum between them. His voice was raw as he screamed, loving the feeling of Vegeta inside of him, "OH GODS YES SO TIGHT! TOO BIG! NNNGH!"

Goku's mouth ran dry, the sight of Vegeta hovering above him, his hair messy, sticking out at all angles. Sweat a fine sheen over his skin, making him shine like a warm gold in the moonlight. "More...fuck me more..., but..." He swallowed nervously. For some reason he was hesitating to ask for what he wanted. Not that he was embarrassed, but because he was normally turned down. But perhaps his prince would not turn him away. "Fuck me standing up Vegeta, but with me down on the ground, my... my ass in the air... my cock above my face... Please? And then I want to suck you, I want every inch of me covered by you... owned..." He blushed deeply, searching the dark eyes as Vegeta continued to thrust into him

"Demanding whore, aren't you?" Vegeta growled in his ear. His cock was starting to throb, drops of precum dripping from the end, as Goku described how he wanted Vegeta to fuck him. He grabbed the backs of Goku's thighs and lifted them, giving him perfect access to the opening to Goku's body. Without warning, he roughly slammed himself into Goku's tight heat again, smiling ruthlessly as the other man screamed out in pleasure and pain. He wrapped his arms around Goku's thighs and stood, angling Goku beneath him. OH, this was perfect. He was in complete control, Goku forced to take every last inch of him, unable to squirm away, even if he had to. He pounded his thick, rock-hard cock deeply into the other man, grunting with the force of his thrusts. He slapped a hand to Goku's ass, watching the angry red mark appear on the skin in an instant. "Worthless... The only thing you're good for is pleasuring my cock... You're nothing but a tight hole for me to fuck... And you love it... You love it when I fuck you... When I hurt you... Don't you?"

Goku couldn't answer, the sheer pleasure from being controlled, filled so suddenly. He could feel himself tearing under the girth of the prince, the speed at which he pounded into him. And the angle was intoxicating to look up through his eyes. at Vegeta standing over him, his red hard cock bouncing against his skin, Vegeta's own cock buried so deeply inside of him. The feeling of the prince slapping his skin, the sharp flash of pain that immediately transformed into something better. Goku panted, it was all he could do to hold on, his hands flat against the ground, his back stretching from the strain of the position, Vegeta using gravity to practically split him in half, holding his legs apart and sneering down at him. Oh gods, yessss this was what he had been needing for ages. Not some timid, fragile woman, but someone who could handle him, giving him everything he wanted, needed, craved and more. To be fucked and fuck in return. His face blushed a deeper red as he thought of the vulgar words. It was absolutely incredible, he needed this. He hadn't been allowed to come at home in the longest time. Too tired, headache... all of the excuses sounded pathetic to his ears. Vegeta slapped his ass again as he pounded deeply into him, jarring his body, that cock deep within him hitting that perfect spot again and again. Precum leaked out of his cock, falling down and landing on his face, in his mouth and he licked his lips, wanting more, feeling the precum dribbling down his cheeks, across his forehead and onto his hair.

Vegeta slapped his ass again and again, the redness taking on the purple hue of a bruise. He moved his hands to the insides of Goku's thighs, spreading his legs even wider, leaning slightly forward, digging his fingers into the muscles. "Mmmmm... look at how hard you are, Kakarot," he said appreciatively, staring at the hard, red flesh that bobbed in front of him. "You want me to touch it, don't you?" He ran an open palm up the shaft, smiling at the shiver it drew from Goku's body. "I bet it's just ACHING for release..." He flicked a finger harshly at the swollen head, enjoying the whimper of pain from Goku's throat, the way his cock seemed to swell further, turning a deeper shade of red. He wrapped his fingers around it, squeezing it tightly and stroked it agonizingly slow. "You like the way it hurts. You dirty little slut." He took on a thoughtful expression, considering Goku for a moment. "I wonder what you'd do if I slapped it... bit it... You can't get away from me, Kakarot. I can use your body however I see fit," he said with a snort of laughter.

Goku gasped out, bucking up into Vegeta's hand, trying to get some contact. He couldn't stop himself, for some reason, despite everything in his body telling him that would hurt, it would destroy him, lightning would reach out and strike him down. It took everything within him to hold back the impending orgasm that he felt balancing on the edge. His cock hardened at the thought of Vegeta using him, abusing him like that. "No... no please. Please..." he moaned out. His cock twitched at the idea, he wanted the pain. He wanted to know what it was like and he was aching to come, he was afraid that the pleasure and pain would be too much and he would come without permission. "Please don't, Vegeta."

Vegeta threw his head back, relishing the way Goku begged him not to inflict any pain upon him. "You don't want it? You LIE, Kakarot." His hair flashed to gold again, his cock swelling, making Goku's ass tighter around it, splitting him open even further. "How far are you willing to go to please your prince?" he hissed, driving his cock harder into Goku's body, the heady scent of sex starting to mix with the coppery scent of blood. He felt Goku's hard length twitching and throbbing in his hand and he gave it another long, slow stroke, watching as a trail of precum spilled over his fingers. "Sooooo eager, Kakarot. You know not to come until I say so." He could feel his ego inflating at the control he exerted over the other man. He ran an open hand up Goku's cock once more before giving it a harsh slap, watching his reaction as Vegeta smirked down at him.

Goku's scream resounded in the air, but his body told a different story, the harsh slap to his most sensitive of areas did nothing to wilt it away, but it grew even more rock solid than before, aching, just ACHING, to release his load; the orgasm would drench his face, his throat, everything. The trails of precum were already starting to decorate him, he could taste the saltiness on his tongue, smell the musk all around him. He panted hard as his body thrust up, he whimpered more as he smelled the blood from his ass, but he couldn't tell what was blood and what was semen running down the crease of his buttocks. Oh gods, he wanted more but he felt a thrill charge up in him. The Saiyan was so hard with in him... it was like he was impaled upon a steel rod, thick and deep. He had a haunch that Vegeta was liking the struggle. He was so close to the edge already; he wasn't sure if he could hold it off if Vegeta kept that up. He had to catch his voice, shouting out, "No! Please don't! I'm going to come!"

Vegeta's smirk widened to a smile and he snarled, "Masochist." He watched the drips of cum falling onto Goku's face and chest, soothing his hand over the hard cock again. "It's about time you embraced your true nature, Kakarot. Fight it all you want, you are a Saiyan at heart. We thrive on pain." He slapped at the hard, angry red flesh before him again, causing Goku to scream out. "Strange how such opposites can mix so well, isn't it? Pain and pleasure." He stroked Goku's cock again, faster this time, loving the way Goku squirmed in his grip. "Embrace who you are... Give in to your urges... Now come for your prince." And he slapped him yet again.

Vegeta was relentless and Goku nearly lost his mind trying to just hold on, trying to prevent himself from coming. He had nearly failed, each slap just begging his body to let go. He was writhing in Vegeta's grip when he stroked him fast, it was as if the Saiyan was daring him to come without permission. Goku couldn't stop the shudder that ran through his body at the ideas that swam through his head if he had disobeyed, but thankfully, Vegeta finally gave permission and as soon as the blistering pain erupted through his hot and heavy cock, it was all he could do to squirm and buck helplessly as he came, Vegeta's unmoving body deep within him and rock hard, skewering him to the ground. Boiling hot cum landed on his face a moment later, and just came and came and came as he spent himself, thrashing and trying to catch what he could in his mouth, but to little success. Vegeta had angled him perfectly. Some cum even landed on his chest, teasing his pert nipples as the thick ropey strands slid down his body.

Vegeta dropped to his knees with a snarl, slamming Goku's back against the hard ground, and leaned over, thirstily lapping up the come that splashed across Goku's chest. He bit harshly at Goku's nipples, teasing them, flicking his tongue over him as he pounded his cock into his body once more. He could feel himself swelling, aching for release, and he thrust into that fiery hot sheath with renewed enthusiasm. His mouth moved to the right side of Goku's neck, the opposite from where they bore their mating marks, and hissed in Goku's ear, "Don't even THINK about biting me back." And before Goku could even register's the prince's words, Vegeta bit into his shoulder, right where it joined his neck, growling loudly as his cock spilled into Goku's body, the taste of his blood on his tongue causing his eyes to roll back in his head as he came.

Goku screamed out, his vision going white as Vegeta bit into his neck, he could feel blood already welling up out of the wound. He was marked... again... Vegeta was holding him so tightly, his cum now coating the prince and Goku couldn't stop the second orgasm that washed over him as he bucked up trying to take more of that cock into him before he felt the hot punch of Vegeta's orgasm seeping so deeply inside of him, inescapable. He was trapped. His body ached but it was bliss... such bliss. His ass clamped down on Vegeta's cock seemingly of its own accord, wanting as much of that hot liquid to fill him as was possible. He wanted to mark Vegeta, but he was not the dominant one in this situation and he reveled in the thought of being owned by the strong Saiyan warrior, to be his fucking bitch any time he pleased.

Vegeta sat back on his heels, slowly releasing Goku from his bite, pulling out of Goku's body with a slick pop and leaned back heavily on his arms, trying to catch his breath. His face split in a wide, possessive smile, the blood still in his teeth and wiped his lips. He was sweaty and slicked with cum as he looked over at Goku who was laying flat on his back in the grass. Vegeta groaned and laid back, the cool ground comforting on his fevered flesh, keeping his eyes closed against the moonlight that shone down on him, still making his blood race, that carnal desire within him screaming for more. But he needed a moment... just a moment for his body to come down from the high. "Very good, Kakarot," he panted. "You're getting there."

Goku flopped back to the ground, the moonlight bathing him making him only hunger more for the intimate touch Vegeta had offered him. He was sore all over, in the best way possible. He pushed himself up, hissing in pleasure as the ache in his backside made itself known. He moved, crawling over to the smaller Saiyan, flopping back down on the ground next to him, laying his head on the cum slicked chest of the other, listening to his racing heartbeat as he closed his eyes.

Vegeta's breathing eased and he cast a glance at the other man who rested over his chest. He felt like shoving him away, but decided to just lay there as they caught their breath. He slid one hand down Goku's spine, pausing to tease the scar in the small of his back. "You made quite the mess, Kakarot," he stated. "I think you need to clean me up." He twirled his fingers around the scar for a minute more before he slapped Goku's ass again. "Get busy."

Goku gave an irritated whine, before he turned his head, looking up at the older Saiyan. He moved, crawling on his hands and knees to settle between Vegeta's legs, looking up at him with his cum-smeared face before he lowered his head, taking in the prince's cock with one swallow. He moaned at the taste, it was delicious. The sweet musky flavor wrapped around his senses and imprinted on his brain and he knew he would never forget this - the way he tasted, the hard flesh in his mouth. He couldn't stop the moan that escaped him as he sucked away Vegeta's essence greedily, moving his hands up to pinch at the nipples of his prince's chest.

Vegeta squirmed slightly, his cock quickly hardening in Goku's mouth. He hissed as Goku's fingers pinched at his nipples, shooting a jolt of pleasure through his body. "Mmmmm... so good, Kakarot. What a good little sex slave you are," he purred, running his fingers through Goku's hair, pulling his face to his body again. "Suck it. Suck my cock. You know you love it." He cupped the back of Goku's head with one hand, his other arm still behind him for balance, and lifted his hips from the ground, slowly thrusting in and out of that hot, wet mouth that consumed him. He growled low in his throat, "You love it when I fuck your mouth, don't you?"

Goku almost purred as Vegeta slid his fingers through his hair and he eagerly bobbed his head up and down over that hot cock, sealing his lips around it and sucking hard as he was commanded. He did love this; it was perfect, just what he had been missing, what he needed. He moaned around the flesh in his mouth, opening his eyes to stare up at Vegeta, hoping the prince would let him lick the rest of him clean. He could already feel himself growing hard at the thought.

Vegeta groaned, his mouth falling open, breathing heavier as Goku sucked his cock. "Harder," Vegeta commanded. He fought the moan in his throat as Goku obeyed. He smirked as he locked eyes with Goku, the almost questioning look he saw in them. He never increased his pace, his hips lifting over and over, loving the way Goku's face jarred against his body. It was good, so good, but not enough to satisfy the Saiyan prince. Goku wasn't the only one who got off on the delicious mix of pain and pleasure. His voice was throaty, rough and breathless as he spoke, "Bite it."

Gokus eyes went wide; he had to have misheard. He... he couldn't do that. Vegeta being aggressive was fine because he knew he could take it, but any time he had become aggressive in bed, it had ended badly. He still didn't want to disappoint Vegeta. After all, he had given him everything he wanted. He bit lightly at the flesh in his mouth, testing the prince's reaction.

Vegeta closed his eyes and moaned, his head tipping back for just a moment. The feel of Goku's teeth raking over his hot, sensitive flesh made his cock even harder and it twitched in Goku's mouth, drops of precum dripping from the tip. He could sense the hesitation, the nervousness. "Oh-ho, so Kakarot's going to be shy all of a sudden, huh?" He gave a sudden thrust of his hips, slamming Goku's face against his body, and snorted in amusement as Goku choked and had to pull away. He waited only a moment before he grabbed Goku by the chin and pulled his mouth back over his cock. "Now do it right," he ordered. "But I swear to you, Kakarot, you draw blood and it will be the last thing you ever do."

Goku didn't know what to do. Vegeta was very demanding that he wanted this, that he wanted it to hurt. The pain had felt good. It still felt good, the twinge of pain still throbbing through his hot backside a constant reminder, the new mark on his neck singing with a mix of pleasure and pain. He reached up, circling his hand around the base of Vegeta's cock, squeezing lightly before he lowered his head, hesitating as he pressed his lips just above his hands, feeling the pulse there. He let out a quiet sigh and nibbled at the hot flesh, nipping here and there, biting that the sides, biting and pressing down hard, before he released and moved upwards in his task.

Vegeta hissed and squirmed more under Goku's ministrations. No longer thrusting up, he leaned farther back, gasping for air as his cock throbbed and twitched. He tangled his fingers in Goku's hair, roughly pulling it, panting heavily. "Oh GODS, Kakarot!" he cried, unable to stop the moans issuing from his throat. He could feel his cock swelling, becoming more and more sensitive with every bite that Goku lavished upon him. He let Goku continue all the way down his length until he bit at the head and Vegeta roared in pleasure again, a bit of cum shooting from the tip. "SUCK IT AGAIN," he commanded, the sensations heightened, his orgasm on the edge.

Goku panted, greedily lapping up what spilled forth. He moaned with relief. He didn't know if he could get used to hurting someone because they wanted it. He readily swallowed around Vegeta's cock, all the way down until his nose was nestled into the curls at the base. He moaned at the flesh filling his mouth, sucking for all he was worth, trying to pull the very essence from his lover. Moving his hands back up his chest, through the sticky cum, he tweaked at the hardened nipples. He didn't know how he could like this. How could he love this?

Vegeta roared out his pleasure, his cock swelling and shooting hot rivers of cum down Goku's throat. Over and over, his cock pumped that thick liquid until he was completely spent. His hand behind him slipped and he fell back to lay on his elbow, panting as if he'd just run a marathon. "Holy fuck," he breathed, Goku's mouth still swallowing around him. "Enough," he barked and shoved Goku off of him. He dropped his other elbow behind him on the ground, studying the man before him. "Very good, Kakarot," he smirked. "Much better than I had anticipated

Goku had a million questions by this point. How did they get to be there? What did this mean in the future? What about their mates? Goku frowned, sadness pulling at his face. He was so starved, not just for the sex, but the closeness. Why would Vegeta want to be like this with him and not his own mate? Chichi had never let him get this close. They had never had long nights like this with multiple orgasms, adventurous play. What did it mean? There had to be something wrong with him. He looked Vegeta over, studying his face before he looked down at his chest, covered with a life time of scars and stories. He traced one, the cum following his path that he made, covering the scar with it, before he went to the next scar and did the same. His pleasure, sated for the moment, was still there, the full moon feeding him, making him want more.

Vegeta shivered as Goku's warm tongue traced the scars of his body, the lines of his muscles. But he could tell the other man's mind was somewhere else. He laid back, looking up at the sky, tilting his head just right so that the moon was not in his vision. He didn't want that kind of release tonight. He knew what was happening, it had been blatantly obvious to him from the moment he arrived in the yard. He frowned, staring at the stars above him, wondering why this was happening. Why the two of them? The only thing he could think of was that this was a lesson of some sorts. It was the only thing that made sense. He tipped his chin to his chest, watching Goku, seeing the confusion in his eyes. Vegeta huffed and let his head fall back against the ground, enjoying the sensation of being cleaned for a moment before he spoke. "What's on your mind?"

Goku paused in his leisurely cleaning, looking to Vegeta, then back down at his chest, leaning down to lick away a drop of cum near an erect nipple. "I know this is a shock, but I'm confused," he said honestly, "I don't know what's happening. What this means. What, I mean, what about our mates? What will they think of us?" He knew exactly what Chichi would think, she made it evident to any couple she saw in the street. Ridicule them, call them freaks, sick, twisted people. "And I've... I've never really done so much in one night. What," his breath caught in his throat and he wasnt sure if he wanted to know the answer, "What are we?"

Vegeta gave Goku a frown and popped the back of his head. "We're Saiyans," he answered. "Nothing more. WE-" he emphasized, pointing between himself and Goku, "are nothing more. We're the same as we always were. And put your mate out of your mind for the night. She never has to know." He could have elaborated on that, but Goku would figure it out soon enough. If he told him, it might jar him and ruin the whole thing. "This doesn't mean anything. It's simply a way to show you that fighting who you really are is only harming yourself more than it is helping. I've told you time and time again to embrace what you are, not to fear it. WHY do you fear it so, Kakarot? It doesn't make sense to me."

Goku winced at that, pushing himself up and moving to sit, looking away from Vegeta. He was so ashamed of it. They had a good thing going and he had to go and open his mouth. But the question stood and Vegeta was staring at him in a way that he was sure he wasn't going to let it go. He sighed and rubbed a hand through his hair, looking up at the stars. His voice was quiet when he spoke, "When I landed here, I was stranded, taken in by a kind old man. You know, Grandpa Gohan. I was a real holy terror he used to say, until that day I hit my head." He rubbed at the back of his skull as if remembering. "I forgot everything," his voice cracked up, "Around the nights of the full moon, Grandpa Gohan would always sit me down and warn me to never go outside on the night of the full moon because a horrible monster would appear. I didn't listen. When I was old enough to understand, I thought Grandpa would be so proud of me if I took care of the monster for him, made it safe to go out on a full moon night. I was stupid. I woke up the next morning, Grandpa was dead, I was naked and in a rare moment, I realized I had been the monster he was talking about. I killed him."

Vegeta sat up as well, his eyes wide as he listened to the story. He understood, partially, why Goku feared the moon now. It had caused his transformation and subsequently the death of the man who had taken him in and raised him. Vegeta looked down at the grass, at his own shadow cast in the light of the moon. "But your tail is gone now," he said. "The threat of you transforming is no longer present. You're still not telling me the whole truth," he accused, his tail moving to curl around his own waist, the smooth, silky soft fur a comfort against his skin.

Goku swallowed harshly, his eyes drawn to the movement of the tail. He wouldn't even know what to do if he had his back. He knew what Vegeta was asking, but he didn't know if he could answer. "You said to put her out of my mind for the night, but she's the other reason. She_ hates_ that part of me. And I don't blame her. I'm clumsy, too strong for my own good. I break her china dishes, her crystal glasses. I'm never home for her, always training. She doesn't do this," He gestured between them, "I'm always too rough with her in bed, I hurt her, she says." He sighed feeling himself lower than dirt for admitting it. "I wish I knew what I could do to make her love me again."

Vegeta wished he hadn't asked the question, even if part of him suspected she was the answer. "You can't. She has to decide that on her own," he stated simply. He eyed the other man, wondering. "So she says you're too rough, huh?" He snorted at the thought. Goku was one of the gentlest people he'd ever met. He couldn't imagine him being that forceful in bed, not with as timid as he was right now. He turned a predatory gaze on Goku, drinking in the sight of him once more. "Let's test that theory, shall we?" he rumbled, making up his mind in that moment. He got to his knees, leaning over and captured the right side of Goku's neck in his mouth, sucking and nipping at the skin there, tasting the fresh mark, his length twitching with anticipation as it started to harden. "Take me," he whispered in Goku's ear. "And consider yourself lucky. Not many are given the privilege of satisfying their prince so."

Goku's eyes widened, a moan escaping his lips as Vegeta forcefully pressed a hot kiss to the side of his neck. His cock twitched at the thought, even as he was tilting his head to give Vegeta better access. He was scared, Vegeta was so much smaller than him; he didn't want to hurt his friend. But then again, he knew that Vegeta could take a hit, the forcefulness of his nature. "Really?" he breathed, turning around to face the other Saiyan, seeing the hard arousal there. Really. He swallowed hard and nodded, moving to draw the prince into his arms as he sealed his mouth on the other's neck, opposite of the mating mark. Suckling at it, he thought over what he could do, but decided not to get too fancy. He didn't know much about the subject any way. He let his hands wander, almost recoiling when he touched Vegeta's tail, was... was that alright?

A short purr issued from Vegeta's throat when Goku touched his tail. He felt him pull away and he wrapped his tail around his wrist, pulling his hand to wrap around the base of his tail again. He hadn't allowed anyone else to touch it, save for Bulma. But this was important. He had to put his pride aside for a moment, to let Goku take charge, to build up his confidence. If he could do that here, with him, perhaps he would have the guts to do it at home. He latched onto the side of Goku's neck again as he pressed his hips forward, grinding himself against Goku.

Goku moaned loudly, feeling Vegeta's mouth sealed around his neck, the sharp sting of his kiss. Goku was shocked at the trust Vegeta put into his hands, and he carefully wrapped his fingers around the base of the tail, gently stroking the soft fur, careful not to pull or pinch. He sucked on Vegeta's neck while moving the smaller man to the ground, working his way down from the neck, pausing to suck and lap at his nipples, tounging the hardened flesh. A different feeling surged through him, as Vegeta had given himself up to him. He was scared, out of his element. What if he did something the other didn't like? What if he ruined everything? He swallowed harshly, carefully stroking the tail in his grasp, taking comfort from the smoothness of it, an idea coming to his mind that he tucked away and hoped he didn't forget. He went down further, pausing to engulf Vegeta's cock once more, moaning around the hard flesh and giving it a good suck before he pulled away and went down further. He urged Vegeta's legs onto his shoulders as he used his hands to part Vegeta's cheeks, exposing the puckered flesh there. He was relying, trusting instinct to guide him. He wanted this. He went forward, licking, tasting the musky flesh, teasing the ring of muscle with his tongue.

Vegeta hissed as his back arched, that hot wet tongue teasing his body as his tail was stroked so carefully, making his cock even harder than before. He ached to take control again, to tell Goku what to do and how to do it. He wasn't used to giving up the control like this. He tangled his fingers into Goku's hair, pulling him against his body a little harder, encouraging him. Gods, that felt incredible and his cock twitched, a thick bead of precum forming at the tip. He thought about touching himself, making himself come all over Goku's face. Gods, there were so many options for them to explore. "Yes, Kakarot," he breathed, his back arching again, his legs tightening over the other man's shoulders. He started to pant, wanting so much more. He wanted to snap at him to quit teasing, to stop procrastinating. He loved this feeling, the sensations shooting up his spine, but Goku wasn't fooling him. Still, he held his tongue, letting Goku do this at his own pace. Perhaps there was something for Vegeta to learn in this as well - patience, if nothing else.

Goku could feel the impatience with Vegeta. It was different than the impatience he was used to with Chichi, what it was, he couldn't figure it out. He carefully stroked Vegeta's tail, base to tip, before he carefully held it, and worked his tongue around Vegeta's puckered flesh, pushing in, teasing almost before he pulled out again and then pushed back in. He tasted wonderful, not the gross, disgust he was expecting. He tasted clean, musky and there was always that hint of spice there. Reluctantly he pulled back and licked his own hand, slicking himself up before he pressed his head against Vegeta's body. He really, really wished he had something more than spit to lubricate with, but when Vegeta pushed into his own body with just spit, it had felt amazing. Maybe it would be the same for him?

Vegeta shivered as the blunt head of Goku's cock pressed against the opening to his body and he bent his knees, spreading his legs a bit more, opening his body up. He groaned as the head slipped into him, stretching him, filling him. It was incredible, that thick length slowly spearing him. His cock throbbed again, the precum sliding down his shaft. He ached to be touched; the hand on his tail driving him insane. He clenched around the head, trying to draw more into his body. He wanted it. He wanted Goku to let loose, to drive into him with all the force and lust he knew had to be pent up in the other man. He locked eyes with the younger Saiyan, feeling the desire burning in his own gaze. "More, Kakarot," he begged, his voice breathless. Oh gods, it killed him to ask for it. But he couldn't help it. Now that they had started, there was no stopping. He had to have it. "P-Please."

Goku's eyes widened at the request. He didn't mean to make the older Saiyan beg. He shook his head and hurriedly pushed forward, crying out as he was suddenly seated entirely. The sensation was too much. He hadn't been fully taken by anyone since he had been married. He shuddered over Vegeta's body, leaning forward, feeling something in himself awaken and shake off the dust. He let go of the tail and grasped Vegeta's chin. "I want it in me. Now," he said, moving his hand to grasp at Vegeta's own weeping length.

A low, satisfied groan issued from Vegeta's throat as that perfect cock filled his body, making him ache deliciously. His toes curled as Goku's entire length speared him. His eyes went wide at Goku's command and Vegeta's tail flicked, thumping on the ground for just a moment before he complied, the tip of his tail sliding between the firm cheeks of Goku's ass. He moaned again as Goku's hand wrapped around his cock, the precum slicking his grasp, making his hand slide smoothly over the hot flesh. He pressed his tail into that tight, hot cavern, stars popping before his eyes again. Good gods, the pleasure from that was indescribable. He pressed in more, making his tail writhe within him. "Fuck me," Vegeta said in a low voice. "As hard and fast as you can. I can handle it."

Goku's eyes went wide at the pleasure inside of him, the way Vegeta clenched at his length. "Oh gods," he gasped as he pushed inside again, withdrawing once more. His body shuddered and he screamed, his hair flashing to gold as he went super Saiyan, his length growing inside the already tight prince. He grinned wickedly at that. "Does my cock please my Prince?" he enunciated with a harsh thrust of his cock, before setting a brutal pace, loving the feeling of being filled, his prostate being massaged by that amazing tail. He couldn't control himself as he lost all sense and pounded into the willing flesh below.

Vegeta screamed out in pleasure as Goku's cock swelled inside him, hitting his prostate with every thrust, precum leaking from his own aching member. "Yes!" he cried out. His control was slipping and a moment later he followed Goku's lead, his own hair flashing to gold, the dark reddish fur on his tail turning a glowing, brilliant blond and he plunged it into Goku's body with a pace that matched his thrusts. This was what he wanted, for Goku to embrace his true nature, to give in if even only this once. He squeezed the hard shaft within him, trying to milk him, grunting and moaning wantonly as his hips bucked up to meet Goku's pace.

Goku didn't know what to think, say or do. His body knew what he wanted, unlike the fumbling mess he was usually, this Goku knew exactly what he wanted, and he wanted to fuck his Prince's brains out.

Vegeta was in bliss, his ass filled by his rival, his tail sliding in and out of Goku's body. Dear gods above, help him. His mind briefly went to Bulma, what would she say? It didn't matter. She would never know about this. No one would ever know. By morning, this would be nothing but a memory. But oh, he was going to enjoy it while it lasted. His mind was reeling, his body lost in the sensations that overwhelmed him. Somehow, though, it wasn't enough. He wanted more, he craved the release that could be brought on by one thing and one thing only. Pain. It was ingrained in all Saiyans, it's what made them such incredible fighters. Their love of fighting coupled with a high tolerance, and even enjoyment, of pain. He locked eyes with the younger Saiyan, his gaze intense as he spoke through clenched teeth, "Hurt me." His chest rose and fell heavily, the lust, the desire coursing through him. "Make it hurt, Kakarot. I... I want it!"

Goku's eyes went wide and he nearly stilled in the older Saiyan, his body stiff. "No Vegeta! No. Please. Don't make me hurt you again. I don't want to hurt you." He gasped, thinking of all the times he had hurt Chichi during sex; he couldn't screw this up now. "No.. No I won't!" he cried, wrapping his hand more firmly around Vegeta's length, thrusting into him with renewed vigor. Hurt him? Deliberately hurt him?!

"Do it, Kakarot!" Vegeta demanded, his cock twitching in Goku's grasp. How many times had they fought over the years and Goku had never been afraid to hurt him then, both of them throwing themselves into battle against each other without a second thought. "Hit me," he begged, his cock growing stiffer at the thought, "Bite me. Nnngh... it feels good... you... you know it does..." Goku had to know it. He was a pure blooded Saiyan, too. He had to know that secret pleasure, even if he'd never admitted it to anyone.

Goku shivered and leaned down, biting at Vegeta's nipples, but it wasn't enough. He moved up, moving out from Vegeta's body, his mouth resting over one of the prince's impressive biceps. He bit down, the coppery taste of blood filling his mouth, making his senses go wild. He came with a muffled shout, digging his teeth in as he fucked his prince hard. His eyes rolled into the back of his head as he came, spilling thick hot ropes of cum deep into his body.

Vegeta screamed out, the pain radiating through him, pushing him over that edge, making his cock jerk in Goku's tight grasp as he came. The hot essence from Goku's cock burned exquisitely as it seeped inside him, filling him. He fell back against the ground, panting once more. He lifted his arm and looked at the fresh bite - he hadn't meant for Goku to break the skin, but no matter now. Gods, he still wanted more. He suddenly rolled them over, clenching his ass around Goku's cock to keep their bodies joined, and he smirked down at the taller Saiyan beneath him as he sat up, straddling his hips. "You worn out, Kakarot? Or can you handle some more?" he challenged.

Goku's eyes widened at the sudden change in position. The way Vegeta rode him even though his cock was buried deeply in his ass. He managed to give Vegeta a grin as the older Saiyan clamped down on his cock. And with the fresh bite mark on Vegeta's arm, Goku felt a swell of pride, a possessiveness well up inside of him. He reached out and grasped his hips, lifting him up off his cock for a brief moment before slamming him back down.

Vegeta shouted in pleasure, bouncing harshly on that hot length, enjoying it far more than he probably should have. Well, by earth's standards anyway. Saiyans were far less judgmental when it came to notions of gender. He leaned forward, his face a mere inch from Goku's as he continued to take his cock deep in his ass. "I could go all night," he purred, biting lightly at Goku's bottom lip, slamming himself down over and over and over again. He could see the lust burning in Goku's eyes, the need for release building yet again, when somewhere as if from very far away, he heard a voice... a woman's voice... calling out Goku's name. Vegeta shook his head, trying to ignore it, returning his attention to his lover. "Very few have ever been given the chance to pleasure the prince of Saiyans," he rumbled. "And even fewer have managed to do it. Consider yourself privileged, Kakarot."

Goku heard the voice from far away, too. He couldn't tell who it was, but something in him protested and he wrapped his arms around his prince, burying his face into the others chest, hot tears at his eyes, "No... I don't... I don't want to go. Please. Please don't make me go back."

"Ignore it," Vegeta whispered hotly, squeezing Goku's cock within him. He smothered Goku's mouth with his own, sliding his tongue into that warm, sweet cavern, moaning at the taste. "Stay with me." He bounced harder, his hands moving to cradle Goku's face, simultaneously covering his ears, trying to block out the voice that called to his lover.

Goku nodded, looking up at Vegeta with wide eyes. He wrapped his arms around the other Saiyan, moaning softly as he helped Vegeta glide over his cock. The way he clenched at him - it was hot, tight, deep. He loved the feeling of that alone, being completely buried into hot wetness. He moved over Vegeta, laying him back on the ground and pushed into him again, burying his face into the others neck, breathing against it hotly as he thrust against him.

Vegeta wrapped his legs around Goku's thighs, pulling him into his body over and over again. Damn that voice for interrupting him, distracting him. He needed to get back in the proper mindset, of showing Goku what this could be like, what he was missing. He closed his eyes, enjoying the moment, bucking up against the taller Saiyan. He could feel his release building and he sucked at the side of Goku's neck, opposite the mating mark and suddenly bit into him again as he came, growling possessively, his cock throbbing, pumping out silvery white rivers of hot cum between them.

Goku roared his pleasure as he was bitten, the hot splash of cum between them caused his own cock to swell inside of Vegeta's hot body and he thrust harshly once, twice more before he was coming deep inside of his prince. He bit down on the unblemished skin opposite of the mating mark, not knowing what it meant, hoping it meant something. Hoping Vegeta wouldn't scold him for biting back like he had warned before. He wasn't sure how he felt. He held onto the older Saiyan, pumping into him until he couldn't anymore.

Vegeta relaxed, his nerves singing pleasurably, his teeth slipping from Goku's shoulder. He swallowed down the bit of blood in his mouth as he heaved a sigh. He let Goku relax over him, the younger man resting his head on his chest once again. "Stop it, Kakarot," he warned, though his tone sounded more understanding than harsh. "Take the emotions out of it. That's not what this is. I can't be that for you."

Goku swallowed harshly, the blood tanging on his tongue. He felt stupid again and he sat up. Pushing the other from him, slipping out of him with a grunt before he stood up and went back over to where they started, leaning over and picking up his pants, slipping them on. He kicked at the dirt, covering his essence that had spilled there. "I just can't get anything right," he said sadly. " I'm too soft, just like you've always said."

Vegeta crossed his arms behind his head, looking over at Goku, heaving a sigh. "Kakarot," he said, forcing himself to sit up, resting an outstretched arm on his bent knee, unashamed of the fact that he was still unclothed while Goku dressed. He sighed again, looking at the ground for a moment. "Come here." He could see the disappointment in the other man's eyes as he remained firmly where he was. Vegeta felt an irritation rise up in him. "Goddammit, I said come here," he barked. He could feel the moonlight still on him, making his tail swish widely through the long grass behind him, not the least bit tired.

Goku turned, seeing the determination in the other's eyes. He was so confused, so lost. He went over to Vegeta, kneeling down, sitting in the grass with him. The grass was cool, the moonlight cast a comforting light over them. He saw the tail, flickering here and there and he reached out, catching it, gently moving to stroke the softness over and over.

Vegeta had to swallow the purr in his throat as he let the other man stroke his tail. "What's happened to you?" Vegeta asked, staring at the younger Saiyan who refused to look at him. "The Kakarot I remember was never this broken. There's a reason we ended up here tonight. This was about you experiencing what it's like to embrace your urges, that giving into them isn't a bad thing. The thing you're looking for, I can't give you. It's not personal. This... whatever it is..." he paused and gestured around them, "was just a lesson. It had to be me because I'm the only one who understands you like that."

Goku blinked at the other Saiyan, looking down at himself when he felt a cool breeze drift by and he realized the pants he put on were now gone again. He looked back up at the other man. "A dream?" he asked. He licked his lips, looking up at the stars. "I don't know what happened to me. It used to be good, used to be better. ' probably my fault. It always is." He saw the look in Vegeta's eyes. "What? I thought you would be happy to hear me admit that. " He reached out, catching Vegeta's wrist before leaning back and pulling the smaller Saiyan on top of him, nibbling at the warm skin of his chest.

Vegeta hissed in pleasure, tipping his head back for a moment before he looked down at Goku. "Of course it's a dream," he answered, an amused smile playing across his lips. "But that doesn't mean the lesson is invalid. You cannot place the same expectations on yourself as the humans because you are not human, Kakarot. No matter how hard you try, you will never be human. Saiyans have different needs, our bodies work differently than theirs. There's nothing wrong with that." He lifted his chest a bit more, letting Goku bite lightly at his nipple, a soft moan issuing from Vegeta's throat. "Saiyan views on mates and sex are different. And I don't care how hard you hit your head, there are things ingrained in your very blood that will never change."

Goku shivered at that, sealing his lips around the hardened flesh, twirling his tongue around it. He moaned against the other Saiyan, his words ringing true in his mind. So it was just a dream, but Vegeta was right. He should enjoy this, learn the lesson his subconscious was trying to teach him. He nipped at Vegeta's flesh, looking up at him. "So... then what's next?"

Vegeta thought about it for a moment, moving to suck at the fresh bite mark on Goku's neck as he let his tail curl around Goku's thigh. He flicked the tip of it over Goku's balls, teasing them, smirking as he felt the flesh beneath him beginning to harden. "Learning to take care of yourself," he answered in a husky voice. "I want to watch you pleasure yourself, hear you speak aloud the things you think of when you come by your own hand..." He pinched at Goku's nipple, loving the way Goku jumped beneath him. He moved back and reclined on one elbow, a hungry, predatory gleam in his eyes as they roamed over the vision before him.

Goku looked at him with half lidded eyes as he reclined, watching Vegeta as he took his own hardness in his hand, his free hand reaching up and shivering as he touched the fresh wound on his neck. Not even his mating mark sent thrills like this down his spine.

Vegeta's eyes locked blatantly upon Goku's hand as it slid over his own length. He could feel that lust pooling in his stomach again and ran a hand over his abs, down to his groin, not touching himself, but his hand just ghosting past his length, a groan issuing from his lips again. A smile pulled at his lips, "Tell me how it feels, Kakarot," he ordered. He loved the blush on Goku's face, the way he wouldn't quite meet Vegeta's eyes as he touched himself.

Goku swallowed harshly, feeling his blush intensifying. Oh gods, why now? Why did he feel so exposed and vulnerable while Vegeta was as cool as a cucumber? _'Roll with it,'_ his mind said. Deep down, he was enjoying this, truly, and it had been a long time since he had really enjoyed sex. This wasn't a chore, it wasn't just one orgasm and he was supposed to be done for another four weeks. He sighed contently and laid back, closing his eyes and tightened his grip on himself, teasing the opening at the tip, his breath catching as he did, droplets of precum beading at the slit. "It's good," he said, his voice barely above a whisper, deep and thick with lust, "I'm already aching for release. You made me so hot. You are delicious... it set me on edge... I..." He swallowed, "I imagine your hand on me... rough from years of fighting... You grip me here with your skilled hands." Goku used both of his hands now, one tightening around the base of his shaft, halting his impending orgasm, his organ turning red and harder than before. He lifted his free and teased the tip, pulling up on his shaft, slowly with no particular rhythm, "And you call me your no good filthy whore." He gasped out as he thrust up into his hand, trying to get more friction but he denied himself

Vegeta's length was firming again, watching Goku pleasure himself, holding off his orgasm, delaying his own gratification. "You're a quick study, Kakarot," he smiled and slid his hand to grip his own cock. He stroked himself slowly, watching as Goku pleasured himself, listening to the low, heavy sound of his voice. "You ARE a filthy whore," Vegeta smirked in a nasty tone. "And a greedy one at that." He watched the way Goku bucked up into his own hand. "Only good for two things, aren't you? Fighting and fucking."

"Some days I wonder," he muttered, mostly to himself. Goku licked his lips and dared to open his eyes. Vegeta's voice was like sex, the passion hidden there. He moaned, nodding at Vegeta's words, "Gods, what have you brought out in me?" he asked, feeling more precum slipping out of his cock. Red hot steel, covered with his velvety flesh that slipped over the rod like silk. He bit his lip, watching Vegeta gripping his own cock. It was thrilling to watch him like this, studying the way he gripped, how hard, where he put the most pressure. That perfect body, hard, compact, still lithe. He couldn't stop the whimper that made it out of his throat and he looked away, blinking away the tears that appeared at the corner of his eyes. "Gods, I want you again." He thrust up into his hand slow, steady, trying to make this last. "Can I come? Please?"

Vegeta moaned obscenely as he stroked himself harder, faster, his hand expertly touching himself, using his precum to lubricate his grip. He was ready to spend himself again; gods, it just pushed him over the edge every time someone begged him for release. He ignored the request for a few minutes, concentrating on pleasuring himself to the edge of his climax. He could feel his cock swelling in his hand, his breathing ragged, sweat trickling down the side of his face. He locked eyes with Goku and gave a nod. "Come. Make yourself come for me."

Goku gasped as he came, the deep voice resonating in his head as he felt his cock swell and pump his load, shooting out over his hands, saturating himself even more. He gasped and pulled harder at his dick, thrusting his hips up into his grip, bucking and writhing as he locked eyes with Vegeta watching the older man tilting his head back, memorizing the way that the blush trailed across his body as he came, across his cheeks, his throat. The way his hard member jerked in his grasp, moments before the pearly white ropy strands of his cum shot up out of him, coating his hands.

Vegeta's mouth watered as he watched the drop of liquid trail over Goku's knuckles and he suddenly wanted nothing more than to swallow him down, to taste that essence directly from the source, to have his own cock be sucked dry at the same time. He scooted a bit closer, his face near Goku's hips, his body angled so that Goku could capture him in his mouth if he wanted to. He strained forward a bit, licking at the head as Goku continued to stroke, tasting that salty sweet fluid. He gave a moan and slid his fist to the base of his cock, angling it towards Goku, offering it to him.

Goku moaned as he felt Vegeta's mouth on him and the looked to the throbbing cock in front of his face. He smiled and moved to lay on his back, pulling Vegeta over on top of him, opening his mouth and swallowing down the thick length, humming happily. His hand encircled Vegeta's waist, cupping his firm round ass, slipping a finger against the slick entrance.

Oh gods YES. Vegeta's eyes rolled in his head as he fully captured Goku's cock in his mouth, his own held so perfectly in that hot mouth. He heard the distant voice calling out again and he growled possessively, pressing his hips down against Goku's face. He pressed back, trying to take that finger into his body and he tensed as it slipped inside of him, making him shiver. He wrapped his hands around Goku, one going to play with the scar on his back, the other mimicking Goku's actions, slipping into his tight, hot body. He started thrusting into Goku's mouth, Vegeta's hips keeping pace with his face as he bobbed on that delicious cock.

Goku moaned loudly around the flesh in his mouth, feeling Vegeta's rough fingers back inside of him. He spread his legs to give the other better access. His free hand went up, catching Vegeta's flickering tail, stroking it up and down, careful not to rub the fur the wrong way. He moaned as he felt cum on his tongue and he swallowed around the thickness, wanting more, wanting to make Vegeta come for him. He thrust up into Vegeta's mouth, his blood pounding in his ears, so he couldn't hear the voice calling for him again. He wouldn't mind if he stayed here for the next decade, learning whatever this was.

A deep, rumbling purr issued from Vegeta's throat as his tail was stroked, vibrating the flesh in his mouth. Getting his tail back was one of the best decisions he had ever made. He forced a third finger into Goku's body, finding the firm bump of flesh within him again, rubbing at it as he bit down on the cock in his mouth, taking care not to break the skin. He held it sharply between his teeth while simultaneously giving it a good, hard suck, moaning as the delicious precum spilled out onto his tongue.

Goku's eyes went wide at the pain mixing with the pleasure, he moaned, whimpered around the flesh in his mouth before he bit back, sucking hard. He bucked up against Vegeta's face, feeling the talented fingers pressed up against that place inside of him that made him see stars. He pushed another finger inside his lover, feeling around, trying to find whatever it was that was feeling so good inside of his own body.

Vegeta gave a strangled scream around Goku's cock as his own was bit, the sharp pain blossoming into the most incredible pleasure. That was what he'd been looking for, craving. He let Goku's length slip from his mouth, his voice pleading, "Do it again." He went after Goku's cock with renewed enthusiasm, taking it all the way to the hilt, massaging his prostate expertly, keening as Goku's teeth scraped at his shaft again. He moaned at the fingers working inside his body, the way they explored around as if searching for something and he realized what the other Saiyan was trying to do. He pulled his fingers back to the opening of Goku's body, then slowly slid them in, curling them just right until he hit that spot again, trying to show Goku where to find it within his own body. Dear gods, he thought he might lose his mind if Goku did that.

Goku moaned loudly, alternating between swallowing around Vegeta's cock and nipping at it with his teeth. He became aware that Vegeta was making slow deliberate movements with his fingers. He whimpered as Vegeta firmly pressed down on his prostate again and again. His eyes widened as he realized what he was doing and he hummed happily around the flesh in his mouth, swallowing around it, drinking down another salty splash. He pulled his fingers back, pausing to moan and buck up as Vegeta pressed inside him again. Goku pushed in, following Vegeta's movements the best he could, and curled his fingers when his prince did, feeling a harder patch inside of him, like a little bundle. He rubbed at it firmly, curious if he had found the right spot.

Vegeta's hips gave a harsh, involuntary snap as that spot was hit by Goku's fingertips, precum splashing from the tip of his cock as it jerked. Oh sweet mother of god, he'd never felt anything quite so amazing. The combination of Goku's hand stroking his tail, his mouth and teeth working over his cock, his fingertips pressing at his prostate... Vegeta was in heaven and he was determined to stay there, to hold off his orgasm and enjoy this for as long as he possibly could. Although truth be told, he wasn't sure how long that would be. He retaliated, lavishing the same attention on Goku's body, wondering which of them would give in to the pleasure first. His vision went dark for a moment as that bundle of nerves was rubbed again, his hips thrusting forward once more.

Goku moaned, lost in sensations, the salty sweet taste of the precum splashing down his throat, his fingers gripped tightly by Vegeta's hot body, the way Vegeta's mouth swallowed around him. The fingers stroking at his own prostate. He moaned, bobbing his head up and down, wanting more, more, more, and at the same time never wanting it to end. He couldn't hold it off, the sensations were too much. His body went rigid as he came, his cock swelling and spilling down Vegeta's throat as his legs locked around the other Saiyans head.

Vegeta gave a deep, growling moan as he swallowed down the delicious fluid offered up by Goku's body. He sucked and sucked, determined to draw out every single last drop, wanting to suck him dry. His eyes rolled in his head as he couldn't hold off his own orgasm anymore and he pumped his hips against Goku's face, his own cock pouring into the hot, willing mouth beneath him. He finally stilled, pressing himself as deep into Goku's mouth as possible, his body tensing and jerking as the orgasm overwhelmed him and he threw his head back with a feral roar of pleasure. He collapsed forward, sweating and panting, trembling over Goku's body. "So good, Kakarot," he whimpered.

Goku mumbled his agreement around the flesh in his mouth, still swallowing around it. He carefully removed his fingers and pulled his mouth away from Vegeta's sex, turning his head to the side, "I think," he panted, "I could think about this from time to time. Hopefully I'll remember this when, " he sighed sadly, "when I wake up." He gave the tail another affectionate stroke, slipping his fingers around the cool fur, letting it glide through them as it twitched this way and that.

A small smile pulled at the corner of Vegeta's lips as he rested his cheek on Goku's thigh, trying to resist the urge to purr and failing miserably. He thought he'd be content to just lay there and let his tail be stroked and caressed for the rest of the night. He curled it around Goku's wrist, the only amount of affection he could afford to give the other man. He could not, would not, let himself become attached like that. Bulma was far too precious to him. But still, he found himself fighting the urge to be affectionate after such an intense experience like that.

Goku smiled to himself, his eyes feeling heavy, hearing Vegeta purring softly. Bulma was a lucky woman to have him. "Thank you," He said sleepily, his lips brushing against the soft skin of Vegeta's leg, grazing a scar.

Vegeta sighed as he heard the voice again, louder than it had been before. There was no stopping it this time, he knew and he rolled off of Goku's body, frowning as the other Saiyan faded quickly from view.

* * *

"GOKU! What is all this racket in here?!" Chichi demanded, clicking on the light in the living room, blinking at the sudden brightness. She'd heard him all the way upstairs, his grunts and moans and shouts. The blanket he slept with was tangled around him and his hair was plastered to his forehead with sweat. "What in God's name is going on in here?!"

Goku startled in surprise, gone was the pleasant cool grass and the moon lit meadow and in its place was the hard lumpy couch he rolled off of, crashing to the floor hard, his feet tangled, his body slicked with sweat. He blushed in embarrassment when he felt his pants, soaked and sticky. He moved a leg up quickly, hoping Chichi didn't see. He rubbed the back of his head where it had hit the floor, "J-just another nightmare," he lied, looking outside, the full moon almost below the horizon now, it would be morning soon.

"That didn't sound like one of your nightmares," Chichi said skeptically, crossing her arms and frowning. Honestly, this man. Couldn't he get through one night without causing a fuss? She heaved a sigh and grabbed the blanket, yanking it harshly to untangle it from around his legs. "Really, Goku, can't you just..." She froze when she felt something wet and sticky against her hand and she looked at it in disgust before she looked at him, seeing the large wet patch at the front of his pajama pants, the way they tented over his obvious arousal. "Oh GOKU!" she cried in a disgusted tone. "What is the MATTER WITH YOU?!"

Goku felt a heat bloom through his face and he swallowed harshly, wanting to curl up in a ball and hide. "Chichi, I couldn't help it. It's the night of the full moon and you know… we didn't... didn't do anything." He sat up, looking over at her sheepishly, rubbing at the back of his head, remembering his very vivid dream. He could recall all of it, the mark on his neck - his hand flew to it, rubbing whole, unblemished skin. He offered a smile to her, "I was having a good dream." He felt so odd right now. He didn't know what to do. His aching cock begged to be touched, slapped, bitten. He wanted to be back in his dream. He licked his lips, looking at her robed form. "You want to help me out?"

Chichi's eyes went wide. "Help you out?! I don't think so!" She glared at him. "Besides, it looks like you've already helped yourself enough as it is! What in the world could you have possibly been dreaming about to get yourself so... so... worked up?!" Her nose wrinkled as she looked at his pants again.

Goku felt shame, remembering the flashes of the Saiyan prince, so controlling, forceful. How willing he had been. He swallowed and tried again. "I was thinking of you, Chichi. I mean, wouldn't it be okay to just let go, just this once? I'll... I'll be gentle with you. You can be rough with me, as rough as you want." He could feel the chill of the air, it was making him uncomfortable. His erection wilted under her gaze and gods above help him, he wanted to go to Capsule Corp and see if Vegeta had the same dream. No, that would be stupid. People couldn't share dreams.

Chichi rolled her eyes. "Dreaming about me. As if once a month isn't enough for you. God, Goku, how often do you think people do that?! You know, most husbands are lucky to get it that often! Most women are tired and worn out at the end of the day after working so hard to take care of their home and their family - they want to sleep, not have sex! And they certainly don't want to wake up at two in the morning to clean up the disgusting mess that their husband leaves on the couch!"

Goku felt his face growing hot, his heart dropping, "I'm sorry, Chichi. I'll clean it up, you go back to bed. Let me wash that," he said, making to take the blanket from her. He stood, but every movement had his arousal rubbing against the slickness in his pants, trapped there. He shivered at the sensation, a bolt of pleasure any down his spine and he looked to Chichi pleadingly.

"You're damn right you're going to wash it!" she cried, flinging the blanket at him. She looked at her hand that had touched the wet spot on the blanket, holding it out from her as if her very own appendage was offending her. She hurried into the kitchen, pouring a generous amount of dish soap onto her hand and scrubbing it vigorously. "Put that thing in the washing machine!" she barked, pointing at the utility room off of the kitchen. "And put the rest of your clothes in there, too, because I'm not touching them!"

Goku shook his head, going to the wash room, stripping down, he took a dry part of his pants and cleaned himself up, shivering as his hand brushed against his length, but held off and put everything into the washer with soap, he looked around and grabbed one of the folded towels, wrapping it around his waist before he started the washer again.

She dried her hands on a dish towel and followed him back to the laundry room. "So I suppose this is my fault since I was too tired to sleep with you tonight, is that it?" she snapped, his words hitting her now that her hand was clean again.

He shivered against the cool air now that he was nude and without his blanket. "No, I know it's my fault. I just couldn't help myself, Chichi. You know how it is for me around this time, on this day."

Chichi frowned at the washer, thinking to herself that she was going to have to wash everything twice. He knew better than to start the machine. "That is such a ridiculous excuse," she hissed at him, stomping up the stairs after him. "Really, Goku. You should have better control over yourself! UGH!"

He turned and headed for the master bedroom. He breathed in deeply, the room smelled like her, the fresh soap she washed her hair with, scented with a hint of fruit. The linens on the bed had been thrown back in a haste. He pulled on his pants. "Were you worried about me?" he asked, "looks like you jumped out of bed in a hurry."

"No, I wasn't worried about you. I was worried about you waking up Goten!"

He turned to her, her dark hair, shimmering in the light, her lips full and red. He wanted to kiss her, at the same time he didn't. He loved her; he was sorry she had to put up with him and his mistakes. "Can't I just kiss you? Don't most couples kiss every day?"

Chichi leaned in the doorway, crossing her arms again. "I don't know," she snipped. "But I definitely don't feel like being kissed after seeing that!" She drew a long breath through her nose and shook her head. "I have laundry to do now," she said in a tired voice. "And I'm going to have to scrub the couch before Goten wakes up. Great example you are. What if he'd woken up and seen you like that?!" She pinched the bridge of her nose, sighing heavily.

Goku blinked, turning back and looking at her over his shoulder. "The couch is fine. I'll go back out there as soon as I'm done changing," he said sadly, pulling on the fresh pair of pants and tossing the towel into the hamper. He was going to be cold on the couch without his blanket, but it would be washed and dried soon, so he could make due until then. It was still winter though.

Goku pressed his lips together, looking down at the ground, he felt dirty, unclean now, but he had loved it. Everything about that dream had been perfect. But was he wrong to think that? His heart was aching, ripped from that place to wake up cold and essentially alone. He looked at Chichi again, pleading "Can I just hold you? I wouldn't have those dreams if I could be near you, Chichi. I feel so alone. I just want to be close to you. Just how it all used to be, like on our wedding night."

"You know," she said, then paused, shaking her head and looking at the floor. "Get out, Goku. I can't even look at you right now. I'm not letting anyone get on that couch until I'm certain it's clean! Unless you want to sleep on the floor, in which case, be my guest." She marched into the adjoining bathroom, slicking her hair up into its usual tight bun, pulling off her bathrobe and hanging it up. "I can't even get a decent night's sleep around here anymore! Not only do I spend my whole day cleaning this house, but now I have to get up in the middle of the night to do it, too! Even in your sleep you keep messing things up!" She grabbed her clothes and went back into the bathroom to change, still bitching at him through the closed door. "Honestly, you're a grown man, Goku! Can't you learn to control yourself?!"

Goku flinched at her words, the reality sinking in. "Wait. What? You… you can't be serious, Chichi, it's freezing out there!" And the floor was just like ice anyway. "Where will I go at this time of the night?!" He was torn, he didn't want to leave, he wanted to stay. "It was an accident, Chichi. I can clean the couch. It was all on me and the blanket. The couch is fine. Please. Please don't kick me out," he whimpered.

She yanked open the door, looking furiously at him. "I don't care where you go!" she shouted. "Go stay with your buddy Tien! Lord knows you spent plenty of time out there with him during that stupid training you insisted on running off and doing! Or go bother Vegeta! Hell, stay with Gohan for all I care! I don't want you in this house if that's what's going to happen when you fall asleep! I swear, you're like some preadolescent boy who can't control his hormones!" She stormed past him, heading back downstairs to thoroughly disinfect the couch she was certain was absolutely disgusting now.

Goku shivered. No, he didn't want to go stay with Vegeta. After that dream, he wasn't sure if he would be able to look at the older Saiyan in the eyes ever again. And he couldn't go to Tien's cabin in the middle of the night; he and Sabriena went to bed early and waking them up right now wouldn't set well with them at all. He shook his head, grabbing his shirt out of his drawer and walked down stairs, peering around the corner before he slipped into Goten's room, kissing his son on the forehead, ruffling his hair, careful not to wake him up before he went back out, watching Chichi scrub at the couch furiously. "Chichi," he started, "I am here. Don't you want me here? You keep saying I'm never home and now you are sending me away because of an accident?"

Chichi pressed her lips to a thin line, scrubbing at the couch for all she was worth. Did she want him there? Did she even want to be there herself anymore? A resounding '_NO_' echoed through her brain. Her hands shook with anger as she continued to scrub. Why wouldn't he just leave? Truth be told, those weeks he was out training had been the best weeks she'd had in a long time. No broken glasses to pick up, no husband trying to touch her all the time, no complaining about being hungry or wondering what time he was going to show up. Gods, it had been peaceful. "I don't want you here," she answered flatly. "Not after all this."

A jolt of pain raced through his heart and he sadly went to the door, getting his jacket and shrugging it on. "I'll be back tomorrow, Chichi. Around four? I love you," He said, still hopeful, but silence met his ears and he pressed his lips thin a moment before he closed his eyes, hiding the tears there before pressing his fingers to his forehead. He shivered before he opened them again, pulling his jacket tighter around him. He looked up, standing outside of his son's house; there was a light on in the living room. He walked up to the steps, shivering as he reached up and knocked carefully on the wooden door.

The door opened just a moment later, Lindsey blinking at Goku. "Hey Dad! I didn't think you were usually up this late. Come in, is everything okay?" She stepped to the side and motioned for him to enter the house. Something wasn't right. He looked disappointed or sad? Frustrated? She couldn't tell. She sighed softly and sat down on the couch with him. "What's wrong, Dad?"

Goku smiled at her, even though it was the couch, it was warm, the couch was squishy. He leaned back against it and pulled his feet up under him. "Oh, it's fine. Chichi didn't want me to be in the house." He felt his face growing hot, "just... had a good dream."

Lindsey shook her head in confusion, certain she had heard him wrong. "Wait. She kicked you out of the house for a _good_ dream?" She laughed lightly. "How good of a dream was it?" She noticed the way the blush spread across his nose and cheeks, the slightly embarrassed smile that pulled at his lips and her eyes went wide. "Oh. OH!" She giggled again, "That good of a dream, huh?" She tipped her head in confusion, "Why on earth would she kick you out of the house for that?"

Goku shook his head. "Because I made…"he paused, his voice small, "a mess and she didn't want me to clean it up. She didn't feel like she could put up with me being affectionate right then, so here I am." He sighed, "I asked her if it would be alright if I could just get into bed with her, not do anything, just hold her like I used to, but she said it was disgusting and she couldn't do it." He smiled sadly over at his daughter-in-law. "So I came here. I hope you don't mind." He suddenly looked horrified, wondering if he was imposing, "I can go, if you, you know, don't want me here. If it's trouble."

"She did what?" Lindsey asked. "Dad, that's not right! She should... I mean... you..." She closed her eyes for a moment, trying to control her words. She and Gohan had talked about this a lot. Gohan was starting to wonder if both of his parents would be happier if they weren't together anymore. But he'd told Lindsey they shouldn't mention it, it wasn't their place. Lindsey opened her eyes again and stared at her father-in-law. "You deserve better," she stated. "And you know you are _always_ welcome here, Dad. It's no trouble at all."

Goku just smiled at his daughter. "I love her." He didn't sound as convincing as someone in love should, almost as if he was saying it more for himself that anyone. He reached up and rubbed at the bite mark on his neck, but it had long stopped giving the comfort he sought. Warm, good feelings, replaced with unknown, a tickling feeling in his stomach that didn't feel good. "She just gets like this, she just needs some time." He chuckled, "I just can't help myself sometimes."

She eyed him as he rubbed the mark on his neck. She touched her own, turning her head away and smiling at the sensation that shot down her spine and warmed her heart. But when she looked back at him, he wasn't smiling. It was almost as if the mark didn't bring him any pleasure or comfort at all. "Funny how these marks work," she said quietly. "The bond they create. It's like you lose all reason. Like no matter what your mate does, you can't imagine your life without them. Even if they're horrible to you." She looked down at her hands in her lap, clicking her nails together, a slight frown on her face. "I mean, I know Gohan loves me. But sometimes I wonder if the only reason he put up with everything that happened is because of these marks. I just wonder, you know, if I hadn't gotten better, would Gohan have stayed with me anyway? Would he have been miserable for the rest of his life, just because he felt bound to me because I'm his mate?" She licked her lips nervously and looked at Goku again. "I know you love her. But you just don't seem as happy as you used to..."

Goku smiled at her, reaching out and taking her hands in his, "Gohan married you because he loves you. He married and mated with you again knowing that there would be that chance that you could fall down again and should it happen, he will be there to pick you back up like before."

"Dad, I'm not trying to make this conversation about me," she said. "I'm using it as an example. Most people wouldn't put up with that. They would leave. What I'm trying to say is, these marks can make people stay in a bad situation, even if they'd be happier somewhere else."

He sighed, looking down at Lindsey's hands, brushing his thumbs over her palms, admiring the sparkle of the ring there. He didn't have a ring to wear, but he proudly wore his mark to show his commitment to his wife. "Things might not be as good as they were when we started out, but I made a promise, and I respect what these marks mean. She is my mate. I love her. I just wish I could do something right for her."

"I don't see where you're doing anything wrong," she muttered, squeezing his hand. She drew another long, slow breath, biting her tongue. She wanted to shake him, to scream at him that he deserved better, that he should leave that bitch of a wife who kicked him out of his house in the middle of the night and denied him every comfort and pleasure possible. But the way he spoke about respecting his mark made her hold her tongue. She didn't want to anger him. It sounded like he'd had a rough night as it was and she didn't want to start an argument in the middle of the night. She gave him a kind look, as if asking him to not get upset at her words, "I just want you to be happy, Dad. That's all. I worry about you sometimes."

He chuckled at her, reaching up and ruffling her hair, "Thanks kiddo. Really. It's nice to know someone out there likes me. Chichi will come around. As soon as I figure out what she wants me to do, that is." He stopped and looked at her a moment. "Why can't she be as easy to talk to like you?" He smiled and looked around. "I don't suppose it would be too much to ask if I could sleep on the couch here tonight? Er...the rest of the night?"

Lindsey narrowed her eyes. "NO." She got to her feet, stretching her arms over her head. "You're gonna sleep in the guest bedroom. Sleeping on a couch isn't any good for your back anyway. Come on," she said, turning off the light and heading up the stairs.

Goku laughed at her forcefulness and he shook his head. He followed her up the stairs as she led him to the guest bedroom; the room was warm and there was a thick comforter on a decently sized bed. Goku didn't know what to think. He turned and pulled Lindsey into his arms, giving her a warm hug. "Thanks again. Really." He smiled at her and stepped back, "I'll see you kids in the morning!" He kept the smile on his face until the door closed and then let it fall off his face as he turned to the bed. Going over to it, it smelled of lavender and pressing a hand to it made him groan at the sheer softness of it. He eagerly shook off his coat and climbed in, sinking down as the mattress swallowed him up. He sighed and pulled the covers up to his chin, staring up at the ceiling of the dark room, wondering what he would dream of next. A horrified thought ran through him at having another erotic dream. He swallowed harshly and rolled on his side, daring to close his eyes, trying to force himself into a dreamless sleep.


	29. Under the Mistletoe

Vegeta's eye twitched as the familiar voice echoed down the hallway. Good gods above, did that idiot never shut up? Gritting his teeth, Vegeta followed the sound of the rough, booming voice until he found the source. It was coming from the television in the living room and Jenny was sitting on the couch in front of it, her eyes glued to the screen. "What the hell are you watching?" Vegeta demanded, leaning over the back of the couch, frowning at the TV.

Jenny tilted her head back, smiling at her dad. "I was bored and wanted to watch something that was funny." She looked back at the screen as the burly man with the Afro squared off against an opponent. "It's a world tournament, semifinal match, defending champion Hercule facing... I don't know who that is." She smirked, she had heard from Gohan and Piccolo that this was the man who took credit for defeating Cell, "it's really more of a comedy, but the guy knows how to make his opponents bleed."

Vegeta snorted. "The only reason they'd bleed is if their brains melted and leaked out their nose from being overwhelmed by his stupidity." He paused and looked down at the two little Namekian girls sitting next to their mother, both of them staring wide-eyed at the TV as they slurped on their sippy cups, already dressed in their fancy little Christmas dresses for that evening. "Paige, you could take him," Vegeta smirked, "couldn't you?"

Paige nodded her head, spreading her arms wide as if she was about to demonstrate Vegeta's signature move, but Jenny quickly grabbed up her daughter. "Not indoors, sweetie." She looked back at her dad, "Oh he's not all that bad. The commentators were saying that he is dedicating his winnings to the women's shelters around Japan he helped to build." She chuckled as Paige squirmed in her arms and she let her go. "Go get your Papaw and show him just how you would take down Hercule," she cooed.

"Hmph," Vegeta snorted, "at least that moron is doing something useful for a change." Women's shelters? That didn't seem the type of thing that the great Hercule Satan would involve himself in, but then again, Vegeta didn't keep up with the man. It was probably something his manager told him to do to look good or something. He chuckled as Paige launched herself off the back of the couch and he caught her in his arms. "That's it," Vegeta growled, wrestling her for a bit. "Time for training for you."

"Not in her Christmas dress!" Jenny protested. "It's almost time for the party!"

But Vegeta wasn't listening and he hauled Paige over her shoulder, the little girl blowing a raspberry at her mom as her Papaw carried her down the hallway.

* * *

Tien leaned back in the seat of the car, staring at Capsule Corp. "Do we have to go in?" The car was dark, the cold already beginning to seep in as the snow fell around them.

Sabriena pouted and nodded. "Fraid so. Come on, they're waiting on us."

Tien groaned but got out of the car, picking up yet another mountain of presents. "Aren't you ever going to get tired of shopping for everyone?"

"Neverrrr," she drawled. Their shoes crunched in the snow as they made their way into the building, Dog bounding excitedly at Tien's side. A chorus of cheers met their ears as they walked inside.

"About time!" Lindsey teased.

Sabriena shrugged, "I like to be fashionably late."

Tien rolled his eyes and shook his head as he sat the presents near the huge Christmas tree. Gods, that fire felt good. As always, they were the last to arrive.

"Doggy! Doggy! Doggy!" Paige squealed, running over to the Great Dane who was taller than she was. He gave a playful bark, making her giggle and she wrapped her little arms around his neck, trying to climb up on his back.

"Paige!" Jenny scolded. "The dog is not a pony! No, you can't ride him! Don't… ughhhh." She sighed, giving up as her daughter managed to swing her leg over Dog's back.

Goku laughed and walked over to help take some of the mountain off of Tien's hands. "Looks like you could use a hand there!" He shivered when his hands brushed the other man's. "Good gods! You are FREEZING!" He moved away from him quickly, heading over to the tree and placing the presents under it before he huddled next to the fire, holding his hands out to it, "There's some hot chocolate over there. You should get some before the rest of us drink it all!" He chuckled as Sabriena moved her presents to the tree.

"Oooo! Hot chocolate!" Sabriena squealed and bounded over to grab a mug for her and one for Tien.

Tien shook his head again and chuckled. "Never underestimate the power chocolate has over women." He moved next to Goku, holding his own hands out to the fire. "It's biting cold out there," he muttered before he turned and gratefully accepted the warm drink from his wife. He smiled at her, a warmth glowing in his eyes as he looked at her. "Thanks," he said.

She smiled up at him and sipped her chocolate. "Oh gods, so good," she said, holding the mug in her cold hands, feeling the warmth from it seep into her stiff fingers. She looked up at Tien and mouthed the words, "Love you."

He winked back at her and drank from his own cup.

Goku blinked at them for a moment, the firelight sparkling on their hands and his eyes lit up, "Oh wow! You guys got married?! Congratulations! Hey! Why wasn't I invited to the wedding?" he laughed and then really thought about it, "Didn't I see you guys just a few days ago? Were you married then too?!" He leaned forward and looked at the twin rings, he was pretty sure he would have remembered those. They shone like the stones in his dream catcher and he smiled and clapped them both on the shoulder, exclaiming, "About time!"

Jenny's head whipped over at the sound of Goku's excitement, she heard the word married? But that wasn't possible... he was talking to Tien and Sabriena excitedly and she exchanged a glance with Lindsey.

Lindsey stared wide eyed at Sabriena for a moment before she slowly turned towards Jenny, cocking an eyebrow in question.

Tien sighed and covered his face with one open-fingered hand, laughing lightly. That wasn't exactly how he imagined announcing his marriage to their friends.

"Well just shout if from the rooftops, Goku," Sabriena teased.

"Don't take it personally," Tien said, "It was spur of the moment. We didn't invite anyone. It was just us." He wrapped an arm around Sabriena and took another swallow of his hot chocolate.

"Uh, Dad, who got married?" Lindsey asked, trying not to laugh. Surely not Sabriena. She and Jenny must have heard him wrong. But, then again, everyone else was watching them with confused curiosity.

Goku laughed, "Tien and Sabriena got married! Look! They're wearing matching rings! Wow! I can't believe this!" He pulled Tien into a warm hug, patting him on the back, grinning at him. "Wow! How did you even have a wedding out in this cold mess?" He shivered. "I hope you guys stayed warm enough. Man, all I want to do is stay under the covers," he laughed.

He grinned as Jenny came over, hearing the whole thing. "No. Way. You got married and it WASN'T a big ordeal? Who are you and what have you done with the real Sabriena? Cause I'm pretty sure the real Sabriena told me she was having the most perfect spring wedding with pink and orange and a cute little flower girl..."

Sabriena smiled and opened her mouth to answer, but Lindsey cut across her. "Okay, this is a joke, right?" she laughed. "Good one, guys. You had me going there for a minute!"

Trunks and Catie were laughing as well. "I know you guys are training together, but really? You two couldn't be any more different!" Trunks laughed.

Tien cocked an eyebrow at him. "Don't believe us?" he asked, his voice held the slightest bit of irritation in it.

Yamcha elbowed Tien, "Come on, man. You couldn't land a pretty girl like her," he teased.

Tien cocked his head to the side, staring at his friend. "Oh really?" He took Sabriena's mug from her and set both of them down on the hearth of the fireplace. "C'mere, girl," he said in a low voice and wrapped his arms around Sabriena, hauling her up on his chest before kissing her passionately.

She slid her arms around his neck, one foot popping up behind her as he held her off the ground. He kissed her for a good long while before he sat her down, both of them staring at each other for a moment, contented smiles on their faces. The whole room had gone quiet as this overwhelming happiness seemed to radiate from the new couple.

Sabriena suddenly turned on Yamcha, stating fiercely, "And we're interrupting our honeymoon to visit you all. So shut your face or I'm dragging him home right now."

Goku threw his head back and laughed at that, the look on Yamcha's face was priceless. "So when are you guys going to have a kid?"

Tien groaned and clapped a hand to his face. "Don't start, Goku. Just don't."

Sabriena slid her arm around Tien's waist, clapping a hand to his chest. "We have Dog. That's good enough. This old man couldn't handle a kid anyway."

Tien cocked an eyebrow at her. "Old man?" He leaned down and whispered in her ear, "May I remind you what this old man did for you last night?" He smirked as she giggled, a blush touching her cheeks.

Bulma came over and mock punched Tien's shoulder. "About time you landed a wife. We were beginning to give up hope!" She smiled over at Yamcha. "Pay up now or double later," she said smugly. "He didnt think you were ever getting married. Merry Christmas to me."

Yamcha grumbled, fishing his wallet out of his pocket and counted out the bills before he grudgingly handed them to Bulma.

She laughed, "Come on everyone. Food's ready. We can't keep the honeymooners here for too long!"

Lindsey fell into step beside Jenny as they made their way to the table with everyone else. "Oh, we are soooo cornering her after dinner. Because I want DETAILS," she said in a soft voice.

"GOSSIPS!" Catie accused and ran over to them, ducking her head and whispering, "I love good gossip. We talking about Sabriena and Tien?"

Trunks grinned at Tien, "Robbin' the cradle, huh?" he teased.

Tien gave Trunks a playful shove and looked over at Goku. "Thanks," he said sarcastically.

Goku grinned and laughed, "You're welcome!" He looked at Sabriena and then back at his daughter and Jenny and Catie, who were plotting to grab her and demand answers. "Not my fault you got married before a big get together." He marveled at them, they looked happier, complete. "You really love her, don't you? I'm happy for you Tien.'

Tien looked down at his boots and nodded, a smile pulling at his lips. "Yeah, I do. More than I could ever express." He looked back up at his friend. "Thanks, Goku," he said with sincerity this time.

He and Sabriena found seats at the table across from Goku and Chichi, who was looking rather sour again and kept throwing disapproving looks at Sabriena and Tien.

Jenny grinned as she dug into her food, barely able to keep from smiling. Sabriena was married, it was so hard to believe. Piccolo kept elbowing her, muttering, "I don't want to hear the details, Jenny."

She shushed him, smiling at her friend, "You have to at least let us throw you guys a little reception! At least when the weather gets warmer. It'd be miserable if we did it now. A kind of...what? Post wedding...kind of deal...yeah..." She turned her head and looked around when she heard a little shriek of laughter as Goten let himself be chased by Paige and vice versa until Paige jumped and landed on Goten's back, her arms around his neck, but it over balanced them and sent them tumbling to the ground in a fit of laughter. She chuckled, "Careful you two, don't knock over anything."

"GOTEN! Get up off that floor!" Chichi barked, turning to look at the children rolling around, giggling like mad.

Goten acted like he didn't hear her, but little Paige looked Chichi fiercely in the eye and stuck her tongue out at her.

Chichi's eyes went wide and she huffed, "NO manners." She returned to her meal, shaking her head.

Catie and Trunks seemed far more interested in their wine than their food, Catie muttering every now and then, "I can't believe Sabriena got married." But she snickered as she said it and Sabriena couldn't help but laugh.

However, Sabriena couldn't help but notice the looks Chichi kept throwing her way. Tien didn't seem to notice. Finally Sabriena dropped her fork on her plate with a loud clatter. "Chichi, if you have something to say to me, just say it!" she demanded loudly.

The table went silent.

Tien blinked, looking at Sabriena, then over to Chichi. "Is there a problem?" he asked.

Chichi looked shocked for a moment before she replied, "Don't you think she's a bit YOUNG for you?" she asked in a nasty tone. "You're old enough to be her father!"

Tien drew a deep breath, tilting his head slowly side to side, popping his neck, trying to calm his temper. Of ALL people. It was one thing for his friends to rib him about it a bit, but for this woman to say it in such a hateful tone was quite another.

Sabriena squared her shoulders, her head held up proudly. "He needs someone younger who can keep up with him. An _older_ woman like you wouldn't be able to handle him."

Tien blushed furiously as Chichi sputtered, "OLDER WOMAN?!"

Goku could see a storm coming; he knew that tone with his wife and he reached out and put a hand on her shoulder. "Easy, Chichi," he said in a soothing voice. "She didn't mean it like that. She just meant..." He looked over at Sabriena, "a woman older than her. No harm done. Everyone knows you can keep up just as well as someone her age! Besides, Tien is good for Sabriena! She's come a long way since he started training her. I mean, look! You hardly recognize her." He smiled over at them, hoping this was smoothing things over rather than making it worse.

"Oh, I recognize her," Chichi snarled. "It's hard to forget a nasty attitude like hers."

Sabriena gave a snort and looked down at her plate, clenching and unclenching her fists. She looked back up, narrowing her eyes, "You know, the only one here with a nasty attitude is YOU! At least everyone else is happy for us! Shocked, maybe, but happy!"

Catie raised her wine glass and tipsily yelled, "To Sabriena and Tien!" and drank her glass down, trying not to choke as she laughed. Vegeta shot her a warning look and she grinned back crookedly at him.

Chichi pursed her lips and shook her head. "It is just not right," she insisted. "You should be with someone your own age. Just unnatural, I tell you."

Tien stared hard at Chichi. "That's enough," he said firmly, his tone clearly stating that this conversation was over.

She looked at him, blinking widely. "Excuse me?"

"You've said your piece, now drop it, Chichi," Tien said in a calm, but dangerously low voice. Gods, he wanted nothing more than to lock that miserable woman out in the snow so the rest of them could enjoy their dinner.

Jenny watched as Goku just smiled around the table, lifting his own glass, following Catie's drunken example and proposed a proper toast to the newlyweds, the holiday, and something about the importance of family. She smiled and raised her own glass to that, nodding to Sabriena and tipping her head. She watched Chichi as she looked greatly offended; Jenny hadn't liked the way the woman had sneered at Paige and she mentally thanked her spirited little girl. She also didn't like the way she had talked about age. Gramma Arthusia was always saying age was just a number. She wondered how Goku did it all the time. Patience of a saint, she figured. She coughed once the toast was finished and looked to Sabriena, "So ANYWAY..."

Sabriena turned and smiled, blinking in feigned innocence, "Yeeees?" she drawled.

Leelee didn't wait for Jenny to answer. Nearly everyone was done with their dinner and she got to her feet, dragging Catie out of her chair and marched around the table to Sabriena and Jenny. "Girl talk. NOW," she demanded. "Lindsey, you too."

The redhead's face lit up and she nearly knocked her chair over as she got up.

Sabriena threw her head back and laughed, but let her friends drag her by her wrists back to the living room.

"Girl talk?" Seventeen asked.

"Why are we being excluded?!" Trunks demanded loudly at their retreating backs.

Bulma laughed. "Come on, guys, it's about time to open presents anyway." She scooped up Paige, who giggled, and lead the way to the living room, planting kisses all over Paige's little face.

Tien wanted to crawl in a hole and hide, but grudgingly got to his feet with everyone else.

The girls were huddled together on a couple couches, all leaning towards Sabriena. "All right, spill," Leelee demanded.

Sabriena laughed, "What do you want to know?"

Jenny grinned, dropping her voice down low, "How big is he for starters? I mean come on, that man is built like a mountain. He's got to be hiding some impressive package in there. Oh and I suppose when the hell did you two start dating might also be another good question." She laughed at the looks she got. "What?! Priorities ladies! Priorities!"

Piccolo felt his face turning a deep shade of purple and he groaned before going over and leaned against the wall, looking up at the ceiling and started to pray to the gods that he would go deaf.

"Priorities, huh?" Sabriena laughed. "Well, we got together last summer," she answered. "Never really 'dated' exactly. He doesn't care much for going out." She looked around at their eager faces, Catie had abandoned her glass in favor of a bottle of wine and was drinking deeply from it.

"I cannot believe this," she breathed between gulps.

"Me either," Tien muttered, crossing his arms and leaning against the fireplace across the room. The girls weren't exactly being quiet.

A big grin split Sabriena's face as she finally dropped her voice. "Oh. My. God. He's huuuuuge," she whispered, screwing up her face and falling forward to lay her chest over her knees. She sat back up, flipping her long blonde hair over her shoulder. "I finally, FINALLY got an orgasm," she giggled to Jenny. "Every. Single. Time." She fell back against the couch, sighing contentedly. "You girls can't even imagine."

Jenny snickered, "Oh, don't think you're the only one here who has a man who can deliver." She looked up over at Piccolo and winked at him, knowing he was hearing every word. She snickered, "So finally got to the O face. About time you hopped in the band wagon, we were about to leave you behind." She looked over at Tien, blatantly staring at his crotch, but his pants were too baggy, "A man like that needs to wear some very tight fitting pants. Let me get you some jeans that will make that pop." She fell into a fit of giggles and grabbed the bottle from Catie, taking a long swallow from the bottle before she pulled away, loudly smacking her lips.

"Oh my god, right?!" Lindsey said. "These men need wranglers," she laughed loudly. Gohan blinked at her. "Well, ya do," she answered.

Leelee giggled and licked her lips, raking Seventeen with her eyes. "I don't have that problem," she stated, eyeing Seventeen's jeans that looked like they'd been painted on.

Sabriena laughed, "I seriously doubt I could get him in a pair of jeans. You're gonna have to take my word for it."

"Hold on a second," Catie said, her voice a bit louder than normal. The wine was getting to her. "Now, I get that Jenny can handle Piccolo. But how the hell can you... you know... take him?!"

Tien's eyes looked like they were going to pop out of his head.

Trunks was gasping for air, he was laughing so hard and Gohan marched over to wrench the bottle from Jenny's hand and took a long drink.

Sabriena shrieked and laughed, "W-What do you mean?"

"Look at him!" Catie went on. "You're so tiny! I just..." She stopped and looked at Tien again. "OUCH," she winced, making the other girls laugh.

"Well, I guess you girls just aren't as talented in bed as I am," Sabriena boasted loudly.

Piccolo started to raise his hands up towards his ears, preparing to rip them off at this point, thinking he could regenerate them later, but stopped when Paige tottered over to him and lifted her arms up, making a grabbing motion.

"Dada! Me go up!"

Piccolo sighed and picked up his daughter, throwing a nasty look at Jenny.

Jenny was howling with laughter, "Oh my god. I can't..." She was holding her sides, "I can't breathe!" She finally sat back and just smiled, "We are soooo going to have to have one of those naughty ladies-only parties," she grinned wickedly, "Find something to make that easier to swallow."

"OKAY," Tien said loudly and crossed the room, taking Sabriena's hand. "That's about enough of that." He pulled her to her feet, "Excuse us," he said to the other girls and lead Sabriena across the room. He sat down on the hearth and pulled her down into his lap, burying his burning red face into her hair.

Yamcha stared at Tien for a moment, a slight frown on his face. "Now I see why you didn't want me hitting on her. You wanted her for yourself!"

Tien shrugged without looking up. He was so embarrassed, yet, somehow flattered. Maybe? Women didn't pay him much attention, a fact he had been perfectly fine with, but to hear his wife's friends going on and on... He didn't know whether to hide or boast.

"Hey, Sabriena, why don't you set me up with one of your friends? You gotta know some single women your age," Yamcha grinned.

She looked up at him from her position in Tien's lap and replied coolly, "None that I hate that much."

"Oh BURN!" Trunks yelled, pointing at Yamcha.

Vegeta sat down in his chair, pulling Bulma to sit on the arm rest next to him. "I thought I told you to hide the wine from him and Catherine," he muttered.

Bulma smiled and wrapped an arm around his shoulder, turning her head into the short spikes of his jet black hair. "Ah, let them have their fun. They need the distraction." She turned more so her legs were draped over his thighs, sliding a hand into his hair and twirling the silken strands over her fingers. "I might have to agree with them on having one of those parties." She giggled at the look on his face before she turned to the rest of the group, "Okay guys! How about we start passing out presents?"

The kids helped pass out presents and everyone busied themselves with ripping into their gifts, shouting thank yous at one another. The conversation about Tien's endowments long forgotten, the evening went on pleasantly, Leelee leading Catie and Trunks in a loud, semi-drunken chorus of Christmas carols while Piccolo cringed in the corner, Goten and Paige chasing each other around with their new toys, and the others laughing and talking together.

Sabriena crossed the room to Goku, smiling as she saw the scarf she'd given him wrapped around his neck. "I though you could use that," she grinned. "I know how much you hate the cold."

Goku chuckled and stepped away from the wall he had been leaning on taking a break, moving to readjust the scarf around his neck until it covered his mouth and nose. He laughed, "You remembered! I swear, I don't know how you and Tien live all the way up north in the winter. Guess you stay in and keep the fire blazing." He laughed at the slight blush that gathered on her cheeks. He smiled warmly at her, placing a hand on her shoulder, "Really Sabriena, I have to say. You two are good for each other. The changes you brought out in each other are phenomenal. We couldn't get Tien to come to these things before and now here he is! Having a good time too! Well..." He looked over to see Paige hanging from his arm as he laughed, "if he wasn't getting attacked by trolls at the moment." He smiled back at her, "Ah, sorry my gift wasn't as extravagant, but I figured that little paper journal might be just what you need if you ever, you know wanted to write down all those recipes. Maybe a keepsake or something."

She grinned at him, "It's perfect. Thank you." She looked over at Tien who was laughing and play-wrestling with Goten and Paige. Goten was on Tien's back, his arms around his neck, Paige held onto his wrist with both hands as he lifted her off the ground.

"Daddy! Wook!" she called and giggled.

"Oh, he'd better not be getting any ideas," Sabriena groaned. She and Goku stepped just a bit closer, laughing as the kids tried harder to take the big man down.

"Gotta be tougher than that, Goten," Tien laughed. He hadn't really wanted to come to the party, but now that it was in full swing, he had to admit he was enjoying himself.

Sabriena shook her head, smiling lovingly at her husband. "You're turning into a kid," she scolded.

He grinned at her. "Ah, it's Christmas," he answered, "let the kids use me as a jungle gym if they want."

"UH-OH!" Trunks shouted suddenly. "Mom, your trap worked!"

Bulma laughed, "No one suspects the mistletoe in the middle of the room!"

Everyone suddenly looked up as if hoping to find themselves NOT under the mistletoe.

Goku glanced up and saw a sprig of green hanging a few inches above his head. He blinked at it, "Oh...OH!" He felt a blush creeping across his cheeks and he rubbed the back of his head as he looked down at Sabriena. "Ah, sorry about that. Let's get Tien over here." He looked over at the older man who was still trying to wrestle with the kids. He chuckled, "It'd be a little weird to kiss someone else on your honeymoon!"

Tien paused and looked over at them. His new wife kissing his best friend? He thought he ought to feel something about that, like jealousy or possessiveness. But he strangely found that he didn't. It was just Goku, after all. He wouldn't mean anything by it and it was just a silly tradition. He caught Sabriena's stunned, questioning look and he tipped his head to the side and shrugged as if to say, "Go on."

Sabriena snickered and smiled, turning to Goku to wrap her arms around his neck. "C'mere, you," she giggled.

Goku laughed and smiled at her, wrapping his arms around her tiny waist, making a show of it for the room, holding her carefully before he dipped her over. He felt a blush on his cheeks, a giddiness in his chest. He'd never kissed anyone but Chichi before, but a kiss between close friends - it would be alright. He leaned down, their lips centimeters apart, he could catch a whiff of the fragrance that surrounded her, the spice and honeysuckle her remembered smelling on the pillow at Tien's cabin. He sighed slightly before smiling at her and pressing his lips firmly to her own.

Sabriena giggled against the kiss, lifting one leg in the air as he dipped her backwards. Ignoring the cat-calls from their friends, she pressed her lips back against his and slightly wiggled her face. "MMMMMMMUAH!" she laughed as he stood her back up.

Most everyone was laughing, even Tien. Everyone, that is, except for Chichi, who had just returned from the bathroom, and was glaring at her husband. Her shoulders shook as she clenched her hands at her sides. "GOKU! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!"

Everyone froze and turned to look at her, the laughter in the room dying.

"Chichi, they were under the mistletoe. It's just a silly tradition," Bulma said lightly.

"I DON'T CARE!" Chichi raged. "That is UNACCEPTABLE!"

The good feelings Goku had been feeling left as soon as Sabriena was out of his arms and Chichi was shouting at him at the top of her lungs. He rubbed at the back of his neck, trying to laugh, trying to play it off. "Oh, Chichi! It's just a tradition! A kiss between friends. I even got Tien's okay before I did it! No harm done!" He actually felt embarrassment rising up in him. He really hadn't meant to make Chichi this mad. "You know you're the only girl for me, Chichi."

"Oh really? Because it certainly doesn't seem that way! I am so SICK of you and these other women, Goku! First I find you flirting with that girl last summer, then you acted like an animal around Leelee because of that SPELL," she drew quotation marks in the air with her fingers, "and now I find you kissing your friend's WIFE! I have had enough!" She marched across the room and grabbed him by the ear. "We are going home, NOW, mister!" She shot a hateful glance at Sabriena, "And you keep your hands OFF my husband!" She stormed across the room, dragging him with her. She yanked the scarf from his neck and threw it back at Sabriena. "And there will be no more gift-giving between you two, either! Come on, Goten! We're going home!"

Goten looked up, wanting to protest, but he knew that tone. Daddy was in trouble again and Momma wasn't going to give in. "Bye, Paige," he said quietly and got up to follow his parents to the door.

If Goku hadn't been embarrassed before, this was it. She had a hold of his ear as he tried to reason with her, trying to remind her that everyone had been under the spell. But when she ripped the scarf away and threw it down on the floor, he couldn't explain what happened, he felt something twisting in his chest at the action and he just shut up.

Paige toddled after Goten, trying to grab his hand, staring after him and Goku who had tears forming in his eyes that no one else could see. She looked down at the ground and picked up the fuzzy, warm scarf with her chubby hands before she looked around and went to Sabriena, holding it up to her. "Goku," she pressed, stamping her foot down hard before pointing out the door where they heard yelling and a car door slam shut.

Jenny swallowed first and looked around, everyone, hell, even Vegeta had a look on their faces. She pressed her lips thin looking at her daughter holding up the discarded scarf up to Sabriena, tears were starting to form in her little eyes.

Sabriena frowned and took the scarf from the little half-Namek. "Thank you, Paige," she said softly. She swallowed hard, tears prickling the corners of her eyes as she stared at the scarf in her hands, running her thumb over it. "I didn't mean to ruin the party," she said softly. She hurried over to Tien and threw herself into his lap, hiding her face in his shirt.

He rubbed at her back, speaking fiercely, "It wasn't you. It was Chichi."

Sabriena felt miserable. Poor Goku. He was going to listen to that for days. She sat up suddenly, looking around the room. "Why does he put up with that BITCH?!"

Gohan groaned and leaned back in his seat. "You know mom. She's always been like this."

"That's no excuse, Gohan!" Sabriena shouted. "I don't know why any of you put up with her! He doesn't deserve that!"

The room was silent. Truth be told, none of them much cared for Chichi. But they didn't dare speak it to Goku because they knew how much he loved her.

"Fine. Tien, let's go home," Sabriena huffed, standing and taking his hand. She turned to Bulma, "I'm sorry. I really am. But I just want to go home."

Bulma nodded. "It's okay." She stood and hugged Sabriena, feeling her shaking with anger, "Don't worry about it. And congrats, you two."

"Thanks," Tien said. He waved to his friends, "We'll see you guys later."

They gathered their gifts and headed outside with Dog following behind them. Even through the closed windows of the car, they could hear Chichi still raging at Goku.

Sabriena caught his eye and mouthed, "I'm sorry." as Chichi turned the car on and drove away.

* * *

Goten crept down the darkened hallway quietly, listening for any sound of his mother. The house was silent. She'd yelled at Daddy the whole way home and for a couple hours after. He didn't understand what made her so mad. Daddy had friends he spent time with. Was that bad? He snuck down to the living room, finding his dad lying on the couch, just as he knew he would be. He crawled up on the couch and laid over his dad's chest. "I love you, Daddy. I'm sorry Momma's so mad."

Goku lifted his head, his tears long since dried. He smiled brightly at his youngest son, all his pain vanishing as he pushed himself up and scooted back so he was reclining more so he could look at the miniature version of himself. He moved the cover up and over Goten. "Hey kiddo, You're freezing!" He shivered and pulled him closer, ruffling his son's hair and rubbing his back. "I'm sorry you had to listen to Mommy and Daddy fighting again." He leaned down and kissed a rounded cheek, then his forehead. "Daddy loves you. He always will, you know that, right?" He sighed and leaned back, smiling at him, "I'm sorry. I'll take you back over there so you can play some more with Trunks and Paige. Would you like that?"

Goten nodded and leaned his head on his dad's chest, his fists clutching the soft shirt his dad wore. He stared over at the Christmas tree, fake of course since his mother didn't want the mess of a real one. He should've been excited. Christmas was only a couple days away. But somehow, it just didn't seem that great all of a sudden. A tear trickled from his eye and down his nose as he looked at the star on the top of the tree. "I wish Momma would be happy. I'd give back all my presents if she could just be happy."

Goku blinked at his son, sitting up then and pulling Goten into his lap, wrapping the blanket around his own shoulders and pulling his son into the little cocoon it made. He wiped the tears away on Goten's face. "Hey, little man. I don't want to ever see you sad and upset because of something that's my fault. I wish I could make Mommy happy, too, but no matter what I do, I just keep messing up things." He sighed and laid back, looking down at the big eyes staring up at him and he smiled again, "I wish I knew what your mommy really wanted for Christmas." He leaned down and rubbed noses with his son. "Me, I just want to spend the day with you having the biggest snowball fight ever!"

Goten's eyes lit up at that. "Can we Dad? That sounds like so much fun!" He hugged his dad, snuggling into the blanket, and yawned. "Can I sleep with you tonight? I'm... tired..." He was already starting to nod off against his dad's chest.

Goku chuckled, "Of course you can. Better stay up there though, this couch is lumpy." He tucked Goten in a way he could hold him securely with both arms, both of them wrapped up warmly in the blanket. He sighed happily. With his son on his chest, he was already warming up, the bitter chill of the room being chased away. "Goodnight son. I love you."


	30. Loyalty

Kadar sat contentedly, watching the goings on around him. Despite the disappointment of not finding the book they were searching for, his fellow Atlantians were determined, convinced that the next town they searched would be successful. They had built a huge, roaring fire and were dancing around it, the night filled with the sounds of drums, cymbals, flutes, and voices, crying out to the gods to aid them in their work.

Kadar eyed the old Saiyan sitting nearby. "And how are your men holding up, Kale?" he asked.

"Doing well," the battle-scarred Saiyan answered, watching as Durian joined in the dance with the Atlantians, bells hanging from his tail as he stomped and turned round and round the big fire. "I think he rather enjoys your way of life here."

Kadar gave a nod. "That is good. Just you wait. Once we unleash the goddess Apollymi, it will be like this everywhere. She shall take rule of the heavens and the earth and all will return to the Old Ways." He turned a bit more to look down at the Saiyan. "And what of the others? Do they share the same enthusiasm?"

"Daikon follows orders like a good warrior should," Kale answered, indicating Durian's brother. "I think he appreciates having a job to do again. He will follow your orders and your ways. And Fasha is as ruthless as ever. She thrives on these missions, her passion for her work is stronger than ever."

"And what of him?" Kadar asked, nodding towards the tallest Saiyan of their bunch. He was sitting alone, staring into the fire as if he didn't even see the dancers as they twirled past him. He had become increasingly quiet, contemplative, a far cry from his normally good-natured self.

"Ah, Tora," Kale sighed, looking at the younger man. "I don't know what's got in that boy's head. Perhaps it's a bit of, how do these humans call it? Culture shock?"

"Is he unstable?"

Kale snorted with amusement. "He's a Saiyan. We're all a bit unstable."

"That's not what I asked, Kale," Kadar growled dangerously.

"My apologies, m'lord," Kale said quickly. "No, he's not unstable. He's a good warrior, one of the strongest I've ever encountered. I believe it's just an adjustment for him. We spent so many years alone on that planet. He's not used to being around people again."

"And?" the big Atlantian pressed.

Kale sighed. "There's a rumor about that Bardock's son is here on earth, that we may have to face him at some point. I think that bothers him. He and Bardock were like brothers; Bardock was closer to him than he was his own brothers, matter of fact. Those two were practically inseparable from the time they met. I thought he'd moved on, but now that he's faced with possibly fighting his best friend's son, I think he's starting to question everything."

"Well, we can't have that," Kadar said thoughtfully, leaning back and rubbing at his chin as he surveyed Tora.

Tora was torn from his thoughts as a beautiful Atlantian woman leaned over in front of him, offering him a selection of fruit from her basket. He gave her a nod and a smile, taking a piece of the fruit and biting into it, the sweet flavor bursting across his tongue. But it was obvious his appetite was for something else that evening as his eyes followed her as she made her way around the circle, sharing her bounty with everyone who was watching the dance.

Tora chewed slowly, his eyes almost unblinking as he looked at her, her pale blue skin, the barely-there clothing that did little to hide her curves. He gave a little jump when his eyes met Kadar's and Tora raised a hand to him, giving a nod of greeting.

Kadar nodded back, a plan formulating in his mind. The numbers of his people were so few, they needed the Saiyans now. And having the strongest of the pack against them would not do. If he decided to join Kakarot, everything could fall apart in the mere blink of an eye. Kadar was going to have to make it worth Tora's while to remain loyal to them. That was easy enough. He'd been around them long enough to learn their ways and learn that their needs were relatively simple. As long as their appetites for food, fighting, and sex were satisfied, they were happy. Those needs could be easily accommodated to any Saiyan's liking.

* * *

The ritual dance continued well on into the night, the energy only growing and building among the people more and more. Tora had remained where he was, not feeling comfortable joining in like Durian had. He reclined back, taking in his surroundings, his tail flicking lazily against the ground. He blinked as the shadow of a man fell over him and he looked up to see Kadar standing there, looking down at him.

"Walk with me, Tora," he said simply.

The Saiyan obeyed, getting to his feet and falling into step with the Atlantian. Tora was a big man, standing nearly six-foot-seven by earthling measures, but even he was dwarfed by the sheer height and weight of the man next to him. "M'lord?" he asked, curious as to what the leader of the Atlantians could want with him.

"You seem discontent," Kadar said as they walked, heading towards the tent Tora had set up for himself at the edge of the camp.

Tora's face remained expressionless. "Not discontent, m'lord. Just… contemplative," he answered. It was mostly true. His mood was far more dictated by his concern of facing the other Saiyans in battle than it was his current situation. He wrapped his tail securely around his waist, chewing the corner of his mouth, considering his words carefully. It was not the size of the man next to him that worried him, but the sheer magickal power he wielded and his extremely short temper. Tora had witnessed firsthand what Kadar did to anyone whose actions he did not approve of.

It had happened that first night they had arrived on earth. Kadar had landed the small ship near the place the castle used to reside, finding the space empty. Using his magick, he had quickly tracked down the remaining Atlantians, demanding to know where his beloved Sigourney was. He had flown into a rage upon hearing about her death, nearly destroying their camp and severely injuring many of his subjects. It was not the last time his own people would invoke his wrath. When Kadar learned of Hybris' attempt to kill Leelee, the bearer of the element of Air, he nearly killed the witch. He'd grabbed her by her long hair, swinging her through the air, crashing into trees and boulders, leaving her bloodied and broken for her fellow Atlantians to heal. Killing the ones with the elemental powers would not serve their purpose. It could take centuries to find all five elements again at the same time and Kadar was not willing to waste that kind of time. He wanted them brought in alive, he said.

Kadar thought over his words carefully, his eyes flickering to the Saiyan. "I do not approve of contemplative. We do not have the luxury to be so. Everything is on the line with this war and if one of my own is having... second thoughts... then it needs to be dealt with," he said in a low, dangerous voice. "What troubles your mind? Perhaps we can find something to take your thoughts elsewhere... blood... food? Flesh?"

Tora shivered despite the hot night air around him. Apparently he had not been so discreet in his watching the dancing women as he had thought he'd been. "Perhaps," Tora said. "But that's only a small reprieve from my thoughts." He'd been thinking about this for weeks, silently searching for any energy signal that felt like Bardock's, but from this far away, he couldn't seem to pinpoint anyone. Sensing power levels was relatively new to him. He knew Fasha was up to something as well, but what it was, he had no idea. "I fear facing my old comrade's son in battle," he confessed, walking slower, staring down at his boots. "It feels like a dishonor to his memory to slay his son. It's not sitting well with me, knowing that it's a possibility. I don't even know if Bardock's son is here, but the way they describe him gives me reason to believe he is."

Kadar stopped walking when Tora did, frowning at the man. "Honor; it is a coward's tool. I have no use for cowards in my ranks. If you do not wish to face him in battle, perhaps I can pay him a visit. Remove his head from his shoulders. Then he will not face you in battle, hm? But I sense you have been having other thoughts on the matter."

Tora felt the fear and anger wash through him at the same time. "I am no coward," he snarled, turning to face Kadar. "If so much is riding on this war, then why not try to recruit more warriors for your cause? If it is Kakarot, perhaps he could be persuaded to join us. If he or Prince Vegeta, or hell, BOTH of them joined you, you would have no fear of the other side." He calmed himself a bit, trying to think clearly, to present this better to his new leader. "Think about it, m'lord. If you had the other two pure-blooded Saiyans on your side, nothing and no one could stop you from capturing the ones you seek. You could release your goddess and avenge the death of your mate."

Kadar snorted, thinking over Tora's words. He could see the logic in it. It wasn't a bad proposition at all. The problem was the Saiyans had no reason to join the Atlantian's cause before. But if approached by one of their own, perhaps they could be persuaded. "Word is one of their people killed my beloved. However, I do see the reasoning behind your words." He gave the other man a look, "Perhaps, if you extend to them an offer to join us. They can bring me their friend's head as a show of loyalty to me."

A smirk pulled at Tora's lips. "A head is a small price to pay to be counted among your ranks, m'lord," he said. "Though the prince was young when I knew him, he was one of the most ruthless and ambitious among us. If he could be convinced that joining your cause is advantageous, I'm sure he will do it without hesitation. And the other Saiyan, if he is Bardock's son, I only hope he has the same loyalty to our race as his father."

"And what should come to pass if you do not persuade them to join our cause? They have already killed my people. I do not think you will be so successful in your venture. What then? Would you dare to join theirs?" Kadar ventured, his eyes holding a dangerous, suspicious gleam.

"No, my lord," Tora answered without hesitation. "I would not betray you. You have done more for me and my crew than we could have ever hoped for. Were it not for you, we would have been stranded on that planet until the end of our lives. My loyalty is to you now."

Satisfied with Tora's answer, a smile split the big man's face, but did nothing to make him seem more approachable. "Good man," he said. "You will not regret your decision. I can give you everything your heart desires, Tora. The most decadent food the world has to offer, all the pleasurable company of the most beautiful women, wealth and power beyond your wildest dreams." He could see the appeal of his offer in the Saiyan's face. "Tell me what you desire and I shall make it happen."

Tora licked his lips, his eyes going again to the beautiful young Atlantian woman with the basket of fruit. His breath caught in his chest when her eyes flicked to his, a smile splitting her beautiful mouth. She looked to her two friends who stood beside her and nodded in his direction. They were nearly as attractive as she was and they giggled at the sight of him staring at them.

"Done," Kadar said, his eyebrow twitching. "Mineya!" he called, causing the woman to jump slightly at the sound of her name. He motioned her over and she set her basket of fruit on the ground, her friends falling into step behind her.

"My lord," Tora breathed, an ache growing within him as they approached, his length firming at the sway of her hips, the bounce of her breasts as she walked. "I can't… If she's not willing…"

Mineya and her friends bowed slightly to Kadar and Tora. "My lords," she greeted them, her voice smooth and sweet as honey.

"Tora is retiring for the night," Kadar said simply as he started to walk away. "Make sure he doesn't get lonely and don't leave him wanting."

* * *

Tora lay awake in his tent hours later, staring up at the shadows cast across the ceiling of his tent from the roaring fire. The drums were still playing, many of the Atlantians still entranced in their ritual. He rested his head on his arms which were folded behind his neck, nothing covering his nakedness, save for his tail curled over his groin. Mineya turned in her sleep, her nude form pressed up against his side, her two friends asleep beside him. It had been such a long time since his lust had been slaked that even all three of the Atlantian women had had a hard time keeping up with him. A smile pulled at his lips as he settled back into his makeshift bed, sighing contentedly at the softness and the feeling of being absolutely spent.

With that distraction removed from his mind, Tora felt he could think clearer now. His thoughts turned once again to Kakarot, the son he knew Bardock had been so proud of. _'Bardock,' _he thought, _'if only you hadn't gone back to stop Frieza. You'd still be here with us and we wouldn't be in this mess to begin with. I hope your son is smart enough to accept my offer. I really don't want to face him in battle if I do not have to. But if he refuses and I find myself in that position, I hope you and Gine will forgive me. It's nothing personal, buddy. Just following orders.' _

He wasn't sure why he felt such a strong urge to make sure that no harm came to Kakarot. He didn't feel the same need to protect Bardock's brothers. Of course, no one, not even Bardock himself, had been able to tolerate Durian and Daikon for very long back in their heyday. Daikon had settled over the years, but Durian was still as hyper and naïve as a new Saiyan recruit in his first skirmish. But there was something about his friend's son, knowing how proud Bardock and Gine had been of their child, that made him not want to be responsible for his death. Tora knew he would never hear the end of it once he reached the afterlife. He shuddered at what Bardock would say.

He absentmindedly threaded his fingers through Mineya's dark blue hair, the silky strands slipping easily through his fingers. Fasha would be furious, but he didn't care. He was sick of listening to her bitching. She had changed so much over the years, even before they were stranded. She became cold and callous ever since Bardock had chosen Gine for his mate and although she'd never admitted it, Tora suspected that Fasha was jealous. She considered herself superior to Gine, always outdoing the other female in battle, sneering when Gine continually had to be rescued by Bardock when they went on missions. But it was that kindness, that endearing clumsiness of Gine's that had won Bardock's heart over. And Fasha had despised them both ever since.

But who knew what Kakarot was like? He could be like neither his mother or his father. Tora was going to have to be careful in approaching the younger Saiyan. One wrong move, one off word said, and Tora could end up doing exactly what he was trying to avoid. He couldn't just rush into this. He needed time to think, to plan, and he was going to have to find Kakarot and confront him somewhere where neither of them felt vulnerable. It was a touchy situation to say the least.

"Mmmm, Tora," Mineya purred, her deep ocean-blue eyes fluttering open to look at him as she trailed her fingertips across his chest. "How long have I been sleeping?"

"Not long," he answered quietly, his body waking again to her touch. All thought of Kakarot forgotten for the moment, Tora grabbed Mineya and hauled her onto his chest, a longing moan escaping his lips, and he sank her back down onto his body, relishing the distraction once more.


	31. What's Your Fantasy?

It was nearing the end of winter when a sudden idea struck Sabriena. She didn't know where the idea came from exactly, but the more that she thought about it, the more it turned her on. It started off as a silly notion that popped up on her out of nowhere one day, but now it just wouldn't seem to get out of her head.

Sabriena sat in bed, a nervous coiling in her stomach. She hadn't quite figured out the best way to approach her husband about it for a few days, but now she thought that perhaps she had found just the right angle to do it - by letting him lead the conversation. At least, that was the plan.

She smiled at him as he undressed and got into bed next to her. She scooted over to his side, nuzzling his strong neck, nipping at his ear. "Hi handsome," she purred as he turned his face to kiss her. "So... I've been thinking about something..." she said hesitantly. "We have a pretty good sex life, right? I mean, I satisfy you, don't I?"

A red flag immediately went up in Tien's mind at the question, causing him to pause as he was moving to kiss at her neck, his already hardening member between them. He thought over the question, wondering if this was a test of some sorts. "Yes?" he asked and answered at the same time, "well...I think we do, don't you? Is something wrong?" Dear gods above, help him answer her right. This sort of conversation could end up with him sleeping outside if he said something wrong. He suddenly wondered if he needed to get a couch and try to squeeze it into the cabin somewhere. _'Dear gods, please don't let me end up like Goku.'_

"No! No, nothing's wrong," she assured him, giving him a slightly ornery smile. She looked at his chest, tracing little patterns over the carved muscle with her finger. This man's body was made for sex, she was convinced of it. "I was just thinking... you know... sometimes people have fantasies that they might be nervous to share..." She met his eyes again, "Do you have any fantasies? Something you haven't mentioned before that maybe you'd like to try sometime?"

Tien blinked at her. Fantasies... Sexual fantasies. He didn't have any he could think of off the bat. The idea kind of caught him off guard, like her finger tracing patterns on his chest, her nail lightly skimming over his hardened nipple. He couldn't help but remember Launch and her "fantasies"; more like her sick perversions with guns. He leaned down, pulling Sabriena back against him, moaning softly as his cock rubbed against her impossibly soft skin. "I can't think of any. Not off the top of my head. Call me old fashioned, I suppose." He raised an eyebrow at her, "why do I get the feeling that you do?"

'Damn,' Sabriena thought. She'd been hoping he had some sort of secret desire - like being with two women at once or some other such typical male fantasy. Figures. Leave it to Tien to always keep things nice and simple. "Oh, it's no big deal," she answered, trailing her hand down his washboard abs, running it along his corded thigh, letting the back of her hand brush against his hard length. "It's silly. I just, you know, always kind'a thought it would be hot to have a threesome..." she said suggestively, her tone only slightly vulnerable, as if she hadn't been thinking about this for days on end.

Tien groaned as she teased his length and he wanted nothing more than to just roll over and slide into her hot body, but he had to remember, they were sort of having a conversation. He chuckled, "A threesome?" He tried to imagine a third person, a woman, but the image was blurry in his mind. He couldn't imagine anyone else being with them. He certainly didn't think of any of her friends like that. Not even after the way they had blatantly ogled him at the Christmas party back in December. "I don't know," he winked at her, "a threesome? You... you aren't unhappy, right?" he asked uncertainly.

"Of course I'm happy with you," she murmured, lowering her face to suck his nipple, her slender fingers curling around his hard length, sliding easily over the hot steel of his body.

He couldn't stop the moan as her hand wrapped around him. She was doing this on purpose, trying to keep his mind foggy, but he couldn't bring himself to tell her to stop. "Hehe, okay. Why? Another woman might make things... complicated... I 'm not sure I could perform for anyone but you." He clenched his eyes shut and his toes curled as she gripped the head of his cock and squeezed it.

'_Damn him. Damn him, damn him, damn him.'_ She stroked him slowly, trying to keep him in the mood as she voiced her proposal. "I don't think it would be complicated," she said in a sultry voice. "Not if we found someone we could trust." She kissed hotly at his neck, twirling her thumb around the head of his cock. "Baby, you know you make me happy. You _always_ satisfy me. I don't want you to think that you're not enough for me, because you most definitely are." She grasped him harder, giving his thick shaft a long, slow stroke up, milking a bead of precum from the tip. "But... I wasn't thinking about another woman joining us..." she breathed in his ear, using the liquid from his body to slick her fist around him, stroking him a little faster.

She might as well have thrown a bucket of ice water on him. He pulled back from her, blinking at her with wide eyes. "A man?" he choked out. He had to think about that for a moment. With a woman it was one thing, he knew that Sabriena would be the only woman he ever needed. But to invite a man into his home, his bed, and to see that man naked and sexually aroused, was an entirely different thing. Wasn't it? "I don't know if I am comfortable with that, "he admitted. "What... I mean. what did you want to do?"

"I... well," she hesitated. What exactly did she want to do? How did she explain it without making Tien doubt himself or think that she wasn't happy with him? "Oh, it's just a silly fantasy," she said. "I just love giving you pleasure. I guess I though doing that for two men would... I dunno... boost my ego or something. I mean, wouldn't you enjoy pleasuring two women at once?" She reached for him again, pressing her body up against his. "It's just a fantasy. It doesn't have to happen, honey. You're all the man I need. Honest. Please don't take it like I want someone else. You're the only man I love." She kissed him softly, a long, lingering kiss that had her heart fluttering in her chest. "I just... don't want to keep anything from you. I just thought it might be fun. Wouldn't it be hot for someone to watch us together? Or maybe you'd like to watch me with someone?" she suggested, pressing herself against him a little more.

Tien had to pause at that thought. He was slowly starting to not care so long as she kept doing what she was doing with her hands. He kissed her back, thinking about it as her soft lips pressed eagerly against his own. Making love to two women at once, satisfying them, he could sort of understand the appeal to Sabriena now. His cock twitched at the thought of having someone watch while he pleased his wife. He thought about his wife with another man; he didn't think he would go for it, the shadowy figure in his mind, touching her, making her cry out her pleasure. He swallowed, "I don't know. Maybe if we find someone we both trust." Was there such a person? He didn't know. He wasn't sure if there was another man he trusted that much. But, oh, it was hard to tell her no when she was teasing his body like this. He thrust his hips up into her grasp, another moan wrenching from his chest. Maybe it would be kind'a hot to see her like that…

A flare of excitement burst in Sabriena's chest and she kissed him again, even more passionately before. She climbed over his body, straddling his hips. "Just a fantasy," she repeated. "Doesn't mean it _has_ to come true." She steadied him beneath her and quickly impaled herself onto his rock hard cock. She gave a cry of pleasure as his thick length pierced her body and she rocked her hips over him for a moment. "But the thought of it happening sure is exciting." She leaned over him, speaking lustily into his ear. "Wouldn't that be soooo hot? Just imagine someone watching us right now... mmmmmm... watching you... as you... ohhh... have your way with me..."

Oh, she was a manipulative little minx. His cock grew harder inside of her at the thought. He moaned loudly as she bounced herself on his hardness. He reached up, cupping her perfect breasts, pinching and tugging at her nipples, he gasped out, "Oh...the idea has merit..." He bucked up into her, watching his cock press out against her belly and he smirked at that. "I may need more... unghhh... convincing."

She rubbed at her belly, feeling his huge length inside her. She bounced harder on his cock, crying out as he teased her breasts and her hands went to his nipples, teasing them with her nails. "Mmmmm... you could bend me over... take me from behind while I... ah... oh gods... while I suck him off." Every wild, wanton act she'd thought about over the past week was racing through her mind. "You know I'm good at that... and you could brag about... how I'm yours... only yours... and you can have me... nnnnn... any time you want..." Her eyes rolled in her head, her orgasm approaching rapidly already. Dammit, she wanted to keep talking to him, to really get the idea in his head, but she was getting herself so worked up, she didn't think she'd last much longer. "What would... OH!... you like to see me do, baby?"

Tien felt his cock throbbing, aching deliciously. Oh by the gods, she really a wanted this to happen. She was so beautiful like this and he loved the dirty words spilling out of her mouth, painting a very vivid picture in his mind. Perhaps he could do it for her. He wanted make sure she experienced every pleasure she could possibly want. He wondered why he was suddenly so turned on at the idea, her mouth around another man's cock, the man moaning in want and knowing that he couldn't have it. Tien shivered beneath her curvaceous form, his hands roaming over her body. He imagined showing her off like that, having wild, passionate sex as another man's eyes watched them hungrily. "Oh gods," Tien choked out, his voice strained as his groin tightened, his orgasm on the very edge.

"You could have me... any way you want..." she panted, quickening her pace. "Show him... just how much... I can take..." She was losing herself, her cries becoming louder and higher-pitched, her body clenching around his impossibly hard cock as she bounced on him. "Oh! Tien! Tien, I'm gonna come!" she screamed as the orgasm ripped through her body, making her tense and shake as she screamed his name again.

His voice joined hers as he roared his pleasure as he came within her, his cock pumping hot rivers of cum deeply into her body. "Oh gods yes, Sabriena!" He fell back against the bed, sinking into the pillows, his chest heaving as he tried to catch his breath.

He watched his wife carefully; she was beautiful, a thin sheen of sweat making her skin glow, her hair mussed as she managed a weak, satisfied smile for him. He just smirked at her. "Has to be someone we both agree on. Might take a while. The other men I can think of are all married or taken."

She was panting, her shoulders trembling, and she gave a nod as she laid over his chest. Gods, he smelled amazing. Her eyes went wide as his words sank in. She sat back up and looked at him, "You... you mean it?" she asked, surprised at his agreement. She'd hoped he might say he'd consider it, but for him to offer this to her... "Tien, are you serious?"

He considered her, gods the things he would do for her. Could he overcome his own hesitations to allow this for her? It would be a while before they founds someone they could both trust, he would have plenty of time to think it over. "Yeah. I'm not saying we run out right now and find some random guy, but if it's what you really want, I'll do it for you." He leaned up, drawing her down to lay over him, kissing her softly. "I want to please you, Sabriena," he whispered to her. I know our love is strong enough that I can trust you like that. But there has to be some ground rules. It's probably going to be a one-time thing.. We can't keep him, whoever it is. And if it gets uncomfortable or if I don't like what's going on, it stops."

"Okay baby," she agreed without hesitation. "I just meant as a one-time thing, too. Just for fun - I swear, it won't mean anything." She kissed him again, pulling back to look into his dark eyes. "I swear it, Tien. I will never betray you. You're the only one I love. Anything else would be just for fun." She laid her head back down on his chest, listening to the comforting sound of his heartbeat. "I'm the luckiest girl in the world to have you."

Tien chuckled, threading his fingers through her hair. "I'm lucky to have you." He sighed happily, thinking about her request, turning it over and over in his head and he thought over the conversation they'd just had. What he had gotten himself into?


	32. Chicken Soup

Goku blinked awake in the morning sunlight, wincing as a sharp pain ran through his eyes and traveled down to his lungs with each breath he took. He couldn't breathe and quickly opened his mouth to suck in some air, his face felt tight, congested, his lungs felt like they were on fire, being scratched with sandpaper with each breath. His head was pounding and his body ached as if he had just spent the past two weeks training nonstop with Vegeta. He'd managed to beg his way into the bedroom the night before, having felt not so great at bedtime. Chichi had finally given in because she couldn't stand to listen to his whining anymore.

"Chichi" he squeezed out, his voice pained and rough; his throat felt like it was on fire. "Chichi?" he tried to call louder, but only just managed it.

Chichi rolled her eyes in exasperation from her place in the living room. She took her time folding the last of the laundry and placed it neatly in a basket before she carried it up the stairs. She glanced at her husband in bed; he was lucky she'd taken pity on him and let him sleep there last night. She sighed and rolled her eyes again. "Really, Goku, it's just a little head cold. You men are such babies when you're sick. You'd think you were dying from the way you're acting," she said, her tone light and conversational as if she was discussing the weather with a perfect stranger. She began putting the laundry away, barely even acknowledging that he was still there.

Goku tried to swallow, to wet his throat but even that hurt. His voice was thick and rough, pained as he spoke, "Chichi, everything hurts, it hurts to move. My lungs feel like they are scratched. Can... can you get me something to drink? My throat hurts so bad." He looked over at her, feeling the cool perception of her eyes studying him, the skeptical look in her eyes made his heart fall.

Chichi slammed her basket down and went to the bathroom, grabbing up a glass. "I swear, I have to do EVERYTHING around here," she griped, returning to the bedroom and handing the glass roughly to her husband. She crossed her arms and smirked at him, "You know, if you're really _that_ sick, you should go to the hospital."

Goku froze, the water halfway to his parched lips, the glass breaking in his hand as he tensed up at the thought. His eyes growing wide and pleading, his voice went hoarse as he begged, "No, Chichi, please! Anything but that! please don't make me go to the hospital, they'll give me a shot. You know I'm afraid of needles!"

Chichi looked furious. Another broken glass. And on her bed! "You know what? I don't care where you go! Look at the mess you just made! Now the bed is soaked, there's broken glass all over the sheets!" she shouted, her face starting to go red. She was shaking all over, her hands balled into fists. "Get out! Go to the hospital, let them deal with you! Get out!" She began to strip away the blankets and sheets before he even had a chance to get up.

Goku shrank back from her, fumbling only a moment before he pressed his fingers to his forehead and vanished, reappearing seconds later above the ground, far from any hospital. They'd have to drag him there kicking and screaming before he went anywhere near a doctor. He fell to the ground and just laid there, curling in on himself, he was still only wearing his boxers, but he didn't care, he hurt too much to care. The wind was cold on his fevered flesh and he shivered and curled up on himself even more, rolling to his side. "Help...help me," he called out weakly, feeling lower than dirt, Chichi's voice echoing around in his head. He hadn't meant to break the glass. She knew how much the hospital set him on edge and she had abandoned him the last time he was in there, after his battle with Vegeta the first time the Saiyan prince had come to their planet. When he needed her the most, she had turned her nose up at him and walked away. No, he didn't want to go anywhere near needles.

* * *

Sabriena sighed in frustration as she heard Dog barking frantically in the yard. She tapped her spoon on the side of the pot and set it aside before she grabbed up her coat and headed out the door. "Dog! Shut up, you stupid-" Sabriena froze in her tracks when she saw Goku laying in the yard. "What on earth... Goku?!" she ran to him, dropping to her knees by his side. "Goku, what happened?" she asked, placing a hand to his sweating forehead. "Oh my god, you're burning up." She whipped her head around, "TIEN! Tien, help! Goku's sick!" she screamed. She threw Goku's arm over her shoulders to try and lift him off of the frosted ground, but she wasn't getting far. His dead weight was too much for her.

Tien came running, confusion on his face, "What? Goku, what happened?" he asked, taking Sabriena's position at Goku's side and easily lifting him, carrying him up to the cabin.

Goku shivered violently as he was moved, cracking open his eyes and looking at them a moment before offering a weak smile. "Hey guys. Couldn't... couldn't think... didn't want to go to a hospital. I broke a glass at home, trying to get a drink. I was so thirsty..." He let out a sigh of relief as the warm air of the cabin wrapped around him, and he wanted the fire, he wanted to crawl into it and not come out. "Kicked out... no needles... no hospital, please?" He looked at Sabriena pleadingly. He already felt better, their hands were cooling against his fevered flesh in a good way, but he was still so cold. Cold and hot at the same time, he was going to lose his mind. "It hurts to move."

"Put him in our bed, Tien," Sabriena said, running to the fire, getting water ready to make some tea to help bring down his fever. Kicked out? Did he say kicked out? Sabriena's hands shook as she added dried herbs to the hot water. She was going to kill Chichi if she had kicked him out.

Tien helped Goku to lay on the bed and covered him with a blanket. "We won't send you to a hospital," he promised. He dropped his voice a bit, "I don't trust those doctors, either." He gave his friend a small smile and sat on the floor next to him.

Sabriena strained the tea into one of their tin coffee cups and added a good dollop of honey. She sat on the bed and cupped the back of Goku's head, helping him to sit up just a bit. "Here. Drink this. It'll help," she promised.

Goku sniffed at the hot liquid tentatively and found the hot steam swirling around his face, working its way into his lungs, soothing the pain. He sipped at it, barely able to taste anything, but the liquid was hot and slightly thick, easing his throat, coating it. He drank it downeagerly, swallowing and easing his parched throat. He finally pulled back, groaning out as his muscles protested from sitting up like that, "Thanks." He looked up at her and smiled, before turning his head to look down at Tien. "Everything hurts." He didn't like it, he felt weak. Really weak. He whimpered as Sabriena's hand left his head.

Sabriena tucked the blankets in around him a bit, trying to give him a sympathetic look and hide any anger she had for Chichi. She pressed her lips together and shook her head, tears at the corners of her eyes and she marched across the cabin to the fireplace. She closed her eyes, breathing in the scent of the burning wood, the warmth flooding over her skin. "It would seem we were expecting you," she said over her shoulder to Goku. "I was making chicken soup. Do you want to try to eat anything?"

Goku looked over at the fire, at the pot of soup she was making. The thought of food suddenly made his stomach clench unpleasantly and he shook his head. He was afraid he'd throw up anything he tried to eat. "I didn't mean to come here unannounced," he apologized, whimpering as a shudder worked its way through his body. The tea had helped soothe his throat, but it still hurt. He briefly wondered if some of the hot liquid from the soup would help ease his throat some more.

"You're fine, Goku," Tien reassured him. "Now try not to talk. It'll only make your throat hurt worse." He leaned back against the wall, looking over at his friend on the bed.

Sabriena gave the soup a good stir and returned to the bed, sitting beside him, a sad look on her face. "No?" That worried her. If he didn't want to eat, he must really feel bad. "That's okay. You rest for awhile. Maybe you'll feel like eating here in a little bit. I'll keep it hot for you."

Tien cast a weary eye at Goku. "You don't think you're going to throw up or anything, do you? Just nod or shake your head. Save your voice," he said.

Goku shook his head, turning on his side, pulling a pillow up against his chest as he curled around it. He was starting to love this bed. It seemed to suck him into it and worked on soothing his aches. He hated this; he didn't want to feel this bad, he wanted to get better, he wanted to feel better. He felt tears forming at the corners of his eyes. He didn't want to be sick, he didn't want to be a burden on his friends. He looked up at Sabriena, giving her an apologetic smile, not wanting to worry her but wanting something wet and hot on his throat. "Broth?" he asked with his raspy voice.

She nodded and went back to the fireplace once again, carefully ladling the broth into another cup for him. She returned to the bed, helping him sit up again to drink the broth. "Here you go, babe," she said softly.

She was furious with Chichi. His wife should be the one taking care of him if she was the one that supposedly loved him. Sabriena didn't mind taking care of Goku, not at all, but it was bullshit that his wife had sent him away. "Tien, get a cool rag. He's blistering hot."

Tien got up and got a washcloth, soaking it in some fresh, cold water and returned, handing it to Sabriena.

"Don't drink too much at once," she said and pulled the cup away. "Give your stomach a minute." She carefully pressed the cool rag to Goku's face, frowning as he shivered and sweated. This was bad. "Shhhhh," she soothed. "You're going to be okay. I'll take care of you." She offered him a sad smile and said with a slight laugh, "Sucks, though, doesn't it? You must be miserable."

Goku whimpered, he didn't know whether to lean into the cold cloth, or to pull away. He nodded numbly, finally moving further down into the squishy mattress, letting the pillow catch his head. His eyes felt heavy, his whole body felt like lead. "Thanks," he rasped, "sorry I took your bed. I'll...I'll wash the sheets later. Don't... want you two to get... sick." He managed a sad smile before he closed his eyes, the broth was delicious, soothing him from the inside out. He let the scent of the bed, that smelled of pine, firewood, and honeysuckle carry him off to sleep.

Sabriena waited until she was certain Goku was asleep before she pulled another blanket over him and went to wash the cups they'd used. "I'll kill her," she growled through clenched teeth. "I swear to God, Tien, I will kill that bitch." She paused and cringed, "Sorry, language, I know. I can't help it when I think about her, though." She spun around to face him. "How can she treat him like that?! Goku is one of the kindest people I know! He'd do anything to help anyone. And she just treats him like... like he's worthless or something! It makes me so MAD!" she shouted the last word and threw the tin cup across the room, covering her face with her hands.

Tien didn't bother to reprimand her; he was thinking the same thing. He stared at his friend's face, the beads of sweat that rolled down the side of his face, his hair sticking to his forehead, the raspy breathing that came out past his lips. He couldn't believe this. He stood and went to pick up the tin cup before he went to Sabriena and wrapped his arms around her. "I know. It makes me mad, too. If I could stand her, I would have words with that woman. I've never figured out what Goku sees in her."

"I'll have words with her," Sabriena growled through clenched teeth. "I will chew her up one side and down the other." She accepted the cup from Tien with a muttered thanks and washed it before putting it away. Tears prickled the corners of her eyes. She wished Goku would just leave his wife. He could be so much happier away from her. No one, not a single one of their friends, not even his own son, would blame that man if he left Chichi. "Let's grab a bite to eat," Sabriena muttered and went to fix them bowls of soup to eat while they waited for Goku to wake up.

* * *

Goku started awake, the world around him was dark save for the glowing amber of the firelight. He groaned, his head was pounding, his stomach was growling, everything still ached and it was hot and cold at the same time. He shivered violently and felt something move at his back before he looked up and found the Great Dane looking at him with intense eyes. He blinked at Dog. When had he crawled into the bed? "Hey," he rasped, weakly reaching over and scratching behind Dog's ears as the big animal whined and licked at his arm.

Sabriena stretched and yawned, hearing Dog's whimpering. She sat up, looking around for him, and saw him on the bed next to Goku. "Get down," she scolded in a harsh whisper. "You're going to wake up Goku!" Goku turned to look at her and she jumped. "Oh hell," she said, getting up carefully so as not to wake Tien. "I'm sorry if he woke you up." She walked to the bed and looked at Dog. "Great useless thing," she muttered at him. He laid his head across Goku's stomach and thumped his tail against the bed, giving her a look that clearly said, "Sorry, mom." She sighed and scratched at Dog's ear. "How are you feeling?" she asked Goku, her voice still soft and concerned. "We were worried about you."

Goku blinked up at her; Dog's weight felt good on him and the warmth was wonderful. "I feel like I let Vegeta use me as a punching bag, for three weeks nonstop," he croaked out, wincing at the strain it put on his throat. He glanced over at the makeshift bed in front of the fire and felt a surge of guilt. "Sorry I kicked you out of your bed." He licked his dry lips. "Would it be much trouble for something to eat or drink

"That's no trouble," she smiled, glad that he had his appetite back. That was a good sign. "And don't worry about the bed. I don't mind sleeping by the fire. It makes Tien all... cuddly." She winked at Goku and lowered her voice even more, "Don't tell him I told you that." She went to the fire where the soup was still steaming in its heavy cast iron pot. "Do you want to sit in the bed to eat or can you manage getting to the table? Either way is fine."

Goku looked at the dog a moment before he moved to push himself up, his arms shaking at the effort. Good gods, he could barely lift himself up. He managed to push himself into a sitting position, leaning against the headboard before he looked over at her, exhausted. "I feel pathetic," he admitted, he lifted a hand to show her how much he was shaking with the effort,."I don't like being sick," he said, his voice cracking as if he was on the verge of crying.

Sabriena walked back to him and took his hand in hers, feeling it trembling. "I know. Nobody likes being sick, hon." She slicked his bangs off of his forehead, cupping his cheek in her hand. "I don't think you're pathetic. You can't help it when you're sick." She hugged him suddenly, feeling him shaking in her arms. "Shhhh. You're going to be okay." She rubbed his back for a second. "I'll bring the soup to you."

Goku couldn't help but let out a sigh as her cool hand cupped his face, it felt good against his hot skin there for a moment sending a chill down his spine. He nodded at her as she left to get a bowl of the soup. He let out a sigh, he was either too hot or too cold, there was no happy medium. And all he wanted to do was curl up in a ball and wish it was over with. "Thanks" he croaked out again. His lungs felt heavy, like they were covered in slime and that slime made his lungs burn.

Sabriena returned with the bowl of soup and sat down on the bed. She dipped the spoon and offered it to him. "Not trying to make you feel worse, but with the way you're shaking, I'm afraid you might get more on you than in you," she explained kindly. She brought the spoon to his mouth, letting him swallow it down. "Goku..." she said carefully, wanting to scream at him that he deserved better, that he should leave that bitch. They'd had this conversation before. She swallowed and stared at the soup, offering him another bite. "I... you don't deserve..." she heaved a sigh. "Never mind."

Goku gratefully swallowed down the offered spoonful, he knew it tasted delicious, if only his taste buds hadn't left him. He was happy, the soup seemed to chase his sore throat away. He reached up and wiped away a stray bead of sweat, looking back up at Sabriena as she stumbled over her sentence. He wasn't sure what she had been trying to say. No one had ever spoon fed him before. He smiled at her, the best he could, "I'm lucky to have you and Tien as friends. Thanks for looking out for me."

"You're welcome," she answered as she fed him. This was killing her. Tien would get onto her if she offended Goku, but even with as much as she'd changed, there were still times when she simply could not hold her tongue. This was one of them. "Goku, you deserve better!" she blurted out angrily. "Chichi should be the one taking care of you if she loves you the way she's supposed to. You shouldn't have had to come here! I am so SICK of watching you be mistreated by her! It's not fair to you!"

Dog whined and crawled off the bed, moving to lay down by Tien.

Sabriena dropped the spoon in the bowl and ran a hand through her hair. "You are the nicest, most generous person I've ever met in my life. You give and give and give and she gives nothing back to you! Don't you think you deserve better?! Don't you want better?!" Angry tears burned the corners of her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. She took a shaking breath, trying to calm herself. "I don't mind taking care of you at all. But it's not right that she wouldn't do it herself. She treats you like shit and I'm sick of it. You deserve better!"

Goku was drawn aback, staring wide eyed at Sabriena. He had heard this before. Lindsey had pretty much said the same thing, just not quite so forcefully. He didn't understand though. He reached out, and caught Sabriena's hand, giving her the best smiled he could, thinking over her words, but it didn't make sense to him. "Sabriena," he said quietly, "Chichi is my mate. Even if she doesn't always show it, she carries my mark. I could never just leave her. It's not easy for her. Not easy being with me," he looked down at his hands, "I break things, I don't know how to do the chores the way she wants them done. I'm lucky she puts up with me as much as she does. I just have to try harder," he smiled, "and I have my sons with her. They need their mother. Especially Goten, he is so young..."

Oh, she could scream. "It's not YOU!" she cried. "Goku, that's the biggest bunch of horsesh-"

"SABRIENA!" Tien barked, cutting her off.

She jumped and turned to look at him, ducking her head.

"That's enough," he scolded, walking over to the bed.

She felt her face going hot as he crossed his arms and stared down his nose at her. "We've talked about this. It's not our place. Goku doesn't feel well as it is. Leave him alone," he said sternly

Sabriena pressed her lips together and nodded. Tien was right and she knew it. Goku was so stubborn in his own right - nothing anyone said was going to break his loyalty to Chichi. Sabriena swallowed harshly and looked back to Goku. "I'm sorry," she said softly. She placed the bowl of soup in his lap and got up, going to the fireplace, feeling bad for bringing up such a sore subject when Goku was already feeling like death warmed over.

"Sabriena," Goku croaked after her, feeling a surge of guilt wash over him. "No, Tien, it's okay. She was just trying to take care of me. I appreciate it. I'm glad I have people who look out for me. This is just... just something I have to see through on my own," he frowned at the distance between them now. He could feel himself growing tired, holding that hot bowl of soup. "It's okay," he muttered quietly.

Tien shook his head. "It's not her place," he repeated. He drew a long breath, calming himself. He hated Chichi just as much as anyone else. That bitch had tricked Goku into marrying her and he knew why. No man in his right mind would willingly agree to a lifetime with that miserable hag. He sat on the edge of the bed, looking at the bowl of soup. "You need to try to eat. You have to keep your energy up. Don't worry about it. We'll keep you out here until you're as good as new. We don't mind."

Goku smiled at larger man and nodded, looking back down at the soup in his lap and grasping at the spoon carefully. He didn't want to break anything, but his hands were still shaking so bad, he was trying to find a good balance between the too tight and too light. He carefully brought up the spoon to his mouth, only spilling a little bit before he managed to wrap his lips around the utensil and sip at the hot food. "It's very good soup," he rasped, trying to ease the tension he felt from Sabriena. He didn't want her upset with him.

Sabriena watched him for a moment before she sighed and went back to the bed, shoving Tien closer to the footboard. "Here," she said, taking the bowl and the spoon from Goku again. Her expression softened. "Goku, I really am sorry. I just want better for you. You're my friend. I care about you."

Tien rubbed at her back and kissed her cheek. "Now there's my girl," he said softly in her ear. He didn't like it when she got so mouthy and demanding, even if her heart was in the right place. If she wanted Goku to know kindness, then she should show it herself.

Goku smiled warmly at them, a warm fuzzy feeling working itself into his chest and he nodded at her. "I care about you, too. Both of you. I do appreciate you guys looking out for me. It's nice to know that someone does. " He smiled sadly and leaned forward, eating the soup Sabriena offered him. He should have felt silly, weak, not being able to feed himself, but he was so content that he couldn't manage it. Each bite of soup taking him one step closer to being normal, it was comforting. He blinked sleepily, wincing as his body protested from sitting up too long.

Sabriena fed him the last of the soup and handed the empty bowl to Tien, who took it and washed it. "Now," she said, helping Goku to lay back down. "It's late. We're all tired. You go back to sleep and hopefully you'll feel better in the morning." She slicked the hair from his forehead again and tugged the blankets up around him. "If you need anything, you can wake me up." She planted a tiny kiss on his forehead and went to the fire with Tien, laying down on her side, letting Tien curl up against her back, his arm wrapped securely around her waist.

Goku smiled over at them, watching as they curled up with each other. He felt better already, the energy in the cabin seemed to soothe his thoughts and calm his mind. He looked over at the fire where Dog had retreated and he weakly lifted his hand, patting the covers. He wanted the warm body near him, even if it was just a dog.

Dog lifted his head and thumped his tail on the floor, looking over at Tien. He usually was scolded for jumping on the bed, but Tien wasn't telling him no and he happily bounded across the cabin and jumped onto the bed. He curled up beside the Saiyan and dropped his head across Goku's stomach, yawning widely. He licked Goku's hand and mouthed on it, not biting it exactly, before he turned his head to the side and watched as Goku drifted off to sleep.


	33. Lights Out

"This is a bad idea," Tien said, shaking his head, watching Sabriena as she bundled up against the cold wind.

"It has to be said," she answered, wrapping her pink scarf around her neck. "If he's going to stay with her, then she needs to be told to treat him better."

Tien shook his head again, "All right, but if Goku never speaks to you again, don't come crying to me."

She huffed, but kissed Tien and ran out of the house, leaping into the air to head for Goku's house. The cold air made her face sting and her eyes water, but her anger at Chichi far outweighed that. It wasn't long before she landed on their doorstep, the air several degrees warmer here than at the cabin so far north. She knocked on the door and smiled at Goten when he answered, "Hey kid. Is your mom home?"

Goten looked at her with big eyes. "Yeah, you wanna speak with momma?" He turned and ran off, shouting for his mom.

Goku appeared out of one of the rooms and smiled widely when he saw who it was. "Sabriena!" He went to her, giving her a hug. He'd spent three days at the cabin as he recovered from the flu, but now he was back home. "It's good to see you, but what are you doing here?" He looked behind her, "Did Tien come with you?" He smiled down at her, ushering her into the house. "Come on, it's freezing out there!" He shut the door behind her and was about to ask if she wanted anything to drink when he heard Chichi walk into the room, her arms crossed, giving Sabriena a look.

"What on earth do you want? I heard you were taking care of Goku, I hope you don't get my little boy sick! He has too much to study today," she snapped.

"No, I'm not sick," Sabriena beamed, her voice sickly sweet, flashing a big, toothy smile. "I just came to see how you all are doing, you know, since you can't handle taking care of anyone while they were sick. I thought maybe I could run to the store for you if you needed it. Pick you up some pois- I mean, medicine." She kept the big, fake smile on her face, batting her eyes. "Hey, Goku, why don't you take Goten out to play? It's a perfect day for building a snowman."

Goku brightened at the idea, not noticing Chichi starting to turn red at Sabriena's words. "Yeah! That does sound like fun! Hey Goten!" he called out, disappearing back into the house.

Chichi had her hands clenched into fists, she was shaking, gritting her teeth. "Listen here, missy, I don't like what you are implying. How dare you say I can't take care of my family! You need to leave, now. I don't have time to listen to your accusations."

Sabriena tipped her face up, looking at the ceiling, waiting for Goku and Goten to be well out of ear-shot before she really said what she had to say. "I was just offering to go to town for you if you needed it," she said politely. She looked back at Chichi, wrinkling her nose and saying in a loud whisper, "We all know how you complain about being so poor. I thought I could give you a hand." She smiled genuinely when Goku and Goten returned to the living room, all bundled up in their coats, the scarf Sabriena had given Goku wrapped around his neck. She'd made sure to give it back to him after that horrible night at the Christmas party. "You two go have fun! Me and Chichi are gonna have some girl talk. She was just offering to make me some coffee, weren't you?" she said, turning a fake smile upon the dark-haired woman once again.

Goku laughed, "Better make that some hot chocolate! It's cold out there! Thanks, Chichi!" He picked up Goten and went out into the cold world, the door shutting behind them.

Chichi was furious, "You! You get out of my home right now! Spoiled brats like you don't know what it's like to raise a family! How hard it is when you have a dead beat husband who does nothing... oh wait, maybe you do know," she said with a smirk.

Sabriena's mouth fell open and she gasped loudly. "How DARE you insult my husband! Tien is anything but a deadbeat! You cannot fathom how hard he works at everything he does. He is the hardest worker I have ever met!" she screamed. She was furious. No one, NO ONE, was going to insult Tien like that. "You are so lucky that Goku puts up with your ass. You need to straighten your act up. Everyone sees how horrible you are to him. And we're sick of it!"

Chichi gritted her teeth together, her jaw sticking out. "Listen here, I don't expect some little girl to understand what I do, but you should learn when to hold your tongue! If it wasn't for me, this family would have fallen apart ages ago. It's only lasted twenty-something years because of my effort! I mean, Goku runs off half the time and the other half he just getting in my way, breaking all of my good china! He couldn't take care of himself if his life depended on it! He is lucky to have me around to raise his kids and take care of his house!"

"Oh, yes," Sabriena replied sarcastically, "He couldn't take care of himself, yet he has saved this planet how many times?! For god's sake, he sacrificed his own life once to save Gohan! Do you even care?! Do you care at ALL for what he does? What he has done? How many times he's saved your life and the lives of your children?!" Sabriena froze, seeing the cold, uncaring look in Chichi's eyes. "You... you don't care... do you?" she stammered.

Chichi rolled her eyes. "He doesn't provide for the family. He has had all these opportunities to profit from saving the world but he never once has! The only thing he does is enter the small tournaments every now and then to make a few bucks here and there. How is he ever going to make any real money and start contributing to this family?!" She wiped at a tear in her eyes. "And no one appreciates all that I do to keep this family going. I'm sorry if I don't have time to baby my husband. Not all of us can lay back with our ankles next to our ears all day, young lady. You get out of my house and stay the hell away from my husband. "

"You are ruining something that could be fantastic," Sabriena snarled. "You are ruining your marriage to a wonderful man. Most women can only _dream_ of marrying someone like Goku." She paused and laughed. "My ears by my ankles, huh? And on his shoulders and around his waist... I keep my husband satisfied," she smirked. "Every. Single. Night." She was half-tempted to threaten to satisfy Goku, but she knew Chichi's habit of accusing him of being unfaithful already and that would only hurt him. "Fine, Chichi. I'll go. But you can't tell me not to see Goku. He's Tien's friend and he's my friend. In fact, we're all Goku's friends. You don't have any of your own, do you? Gee, I wonder why that is," Sabriena asked, tapping her lips thoughtfully with her finger. "Couldn't be because you're a raging bitch, could it?"

Chichi could only see red and she reached over, grabbing the first thing her hand came into contact with, a lamp, and hurled it at Sabriena's head. "I'LL SHOW YOU A BITCH YOU UNGRATEFUL DEVIL WORSHIPING HARLOT!"

Sabriena ducked as the lamp zinged by her head and shattered against the wall. She stared wide-eyed at Chichi. "You crazy bitch!" she spat.

"I have NEVER in all my life heard a young lady speak like that and CERTAINLY NOT TO ME!" She advanced on Sabriena. "OUT! Get out of my house! Or I'll make you regret it! If you EVER come around here again, I'll skin you alive! HOW DARE YOU TELL ME MY WAY OF LIFE IS FLAWED?!"

It was as if Sabriena could hear Tien's voice in her mind, telling her that Chichi had once been a good fighter herself and had even held her own against Goku at the world martial arts tournament. She wondered just how good Chichi still was. She narrowed her eyes and spoke in a low, dangerous voice. "You lay off your husband. He's preparing for the war and we need him. Or this precious house and your brats will all be gone. And then what will you have to brag about? Oh, that's right, you'll be dead along with everyone else. You leave Goku the fuck alone. Be the wife you're supposed to be." She stepped closer, her shoes crunching in the shards of glass. "And if you think you're big enough to fight me, bring it on. I'm not scared of you." She glared at Chichi for a good long minute, then turned and left the house, slamming the door behind her.

Chichi screamed in frustration and went to get a broom and dustpan. That little bitch was never coming in her house again. And she was never going to allow Goku to speak to her or that worthless husband of hers. She was shaking, she was so mad. "Telling me how to do my job... Talking about all those disgusting acts with that 'husband' of hers... hmph... They aren't even married... not really..." Chichi shook her head, beginning to sweep up the pieces of the lamp, muttering to herself. If they thought she'd forgotten how to deal out a beating, they were wrong. They were all so wrong.

Goku was laughing with Goten when they finally came back inside, covered in snow. He stood on the hearth and brushed his son off, taking off his little coat and boots. "Hah! I'll have to try harder next time! I didn't know you could build a snowman THAT big!" he laughed. "How about some hot chocolate before you hit the books again, kiddo?" He chuckled at Goten's excited nod. He picked him up as he headed towards the kitchen, stopping as they passed through the living room, surprised to see his wife seething. "Ah... Chichi? Are you alright?"

Chichi whipped around to face him, her hair in fly-aways, looking completely disheveled. "NO, I AM NOT!" she screamed. "That little friend of yours started screaming at me the moment you walked out the door! She accused me of all sorts of horrible things, even got mad enough to throw the lamp at me!" Chichi was working up big crocodile tears. "You should have heard the vulgar things she was talking about, Goku!" she wailed.

Goku's eyes went wide; Sabriena threw a lamp? That didn't sound like her at all, but Chichi was looking distraught. He set Goten down. "Mind the glass on the floor, kiddo, I'll be in the kitchen in a second, okay?" He ruffled his son's hair and watched him go before he went over to Chichi. "I'm sorry." He placed his hands on her shoulders, rubbing at them. "She threw a lamp at you?" His brow knit together, feeling a protectiveness over his wife growing in his chest. "What things did she say to you? Tien's been trying to get her to stop saying bad things; I could talk to him about it."

Tears were streaming down her face. "She was yelling at me that I'm a horrible wife, calling me names, cussing at me," she sobbed, throwing herself against Goku's chest, hiding her smirk in his shirt. She'd make sure that little wench never spoke to her husband again. "Bragging about how she... satisfies... that husband of hers." Chichi pretended to gag. "How can you be friends with someone who's s-s-so mean to me?!" She was bawling into his shirt, hugging him tightly.

Goku almost felt giddy; it had been ages since Chichi had let him hold her. He felt a comfort in it and wrapped his arms around her protectively, burying his face into her hair. "Don't worry, Chichi. I'll set things right. I'll bring her back here and have her apologize to you. I don't know what's gotten into her."

Chichi shook her head. "I don't want her here!" She made herself tremble against his chest. "She threatened to beat me up if I didn't do as she told me to!"

He rubbed her back. "Are you hurt?" he asked, looking around at the broken lamp in the dust pan.

She wiped at her eyes, sniffling. "I'm not hurt," she said in a small voice. "Just scared." She turned to pick up her broom and dustpan, sweeping up the shards of glass. "Goku, I don't want you spending any more time with her."

Goku blinked at her, he heard a tone of voice hidden in the tremble. He dismissed it as nothing. "Chichi, she lives with Tien. He's my sparring partner. I'm going to see her around." He stood a moment, watching her. "I'll go have a word with Tien about her behavior."

Chichi huffed, cleaning up the last of the glass. "Fine," she said, carrying the dustpan to the trash before putting it and the broom away. "Go have your talk with him, but after that, I don't want you spending any more time out there. You can meet Tien somewhere if you just have to see him. Although, I have to say, I don't much approve of him either and his teenage girlfriend." She fixed Goku with a stare. "And she is _not_ his wife. Their marriage isn't legal like ours. It's not official."

Goku chuckled. "But they are married, Chichi. I've seen their rings! There's just more to their marriage than ours. They have their rings, we have the paperwork and our marks," he said happily, covering his own mark and looking at Chichi's that was covered up by her high collar outfit. He sighed, "Chichi, they aren't that bad. Tien keeps her in line. They even took care of me when I was sick with that nasty cold. I owe them a lot."

"You don't owe them anything," Chichi snapped, picking up a stack of books and setting them on the table. "Goten! Time to study." She got him set up with his homework, crossing her arms as she watched him work. "And don't you ever say there's more to their marriage than ours. Ours is a REAL marriage, Goku. What they have is a perversion of the idea of marriage. Don't let them go influencing your ideas about what marriage is supposed to be." She turned to him, meeting his eyes. "They're already being a bad influence on you. Please, just promise me you'll stay away from them."

Goku felt his heart sink. He wanted to tell Chichi she was wrong, that what he saw between Tien and Sabriena was amazing. The love he could feel between them couldn't even be put into words; wasn't that what marriage was supposed to be about? He couldn't remember the last time he had been allowed to be affectionate to Chichi, but she always countered saying that normal people didn't do that on a regular basis. Certainly not every night; once a month seemed to be the maximum. He offered her a weak smile and nodded, crossing his fingers behind his back and letting them fall away as he went over to Goten to ruffle his hair and look over his shoulder at what he was working on. Math and anatomy. One doctor in the family wasn't enough for Chichi, apparently.

Chichi seemed to brighten when he nodded to her. "Good!" she said happily and turned to the stove to start preparing for their dinner. "I'm certainly glad that you're finally starting to see things my way, Goku. I was starting to worry about you. You know, your life would be much easier if you could just get away from a lot of this silliness you've gotten yourself wrapped up in lately."

If there was one thing he had learned being married to Chichi all of these years, it was when to shut up and nod to keep her in a good mood. He chuckled, "Yeah, sorry about that. Need any help getting dinner together, Chichi?" he asked hopefully.

"No, I've got it. It's going to be awhile before it's ready. And I have to supervise Goten while he does his homework," she said dismissively, waving a hand over her shoulder. "You go on. I've got this under control." She was more than pleased with herself. She started humming a little tune as she cooked.

Goku offered a smile back to her, but she didn't turn towards him. He shook his head and ruffled Goten's hair once more. "I'll be back soon, kiddo." He pressed his fingers to his forehead and reappeared outside of Tien's cabin, deep in thought. He'd never seen Sabriena so mad that she threw something at someone and she wouldn't dream of cussing in front of Chichi, right? Tien had it trained out of her. Something wasn't making any sense.

* * *

Tien was laughing uncontrollably as Sabriena smacked at his arm with her big wooden spoon. "IT'S... NOT... FUNNY!"

Tien leaned away from her, his arms wrapped around his stomach. "Oh, come on! Chichi throwing a lamp at you is hilarious! You're not hurt!"

Sabriena was fuming. She stomped away from him, going to the fireplace, huffing and puffing. "I just can't stand the way she treats him! She... she reminds me..." She swallowed and shook her head, looking down at the floor.

Tien got up from his chair and went to her, putting his hands on her shoulders. "Of what?" he asked quietly.

"Of me. How mean and cold I used to be to people. I hate it that she's so horrible to him."

Tien shook his head, sliding his arms around her waist. "You were never anywhere near as bad as she is. I'm sorry I laughed at you," he said, a slight chuckle in his voice. He just couldn't imagine anyone being stupid enough to provoke Sabriena's temper like that.

Goku went up to the door, knocking on it before he pushed it open, hearing the laughter from inside. He saw Sabriena and Tien embracing, looking happy and content together. The warmth from that alone had him doubting what Chichi said. How could this be wrong? "Ah, Hey guys. Is it alright if I come in? I think we need to talk about what happened at the house."

Tien blinked over at Goku, "Wait, you didn't tell him about this?" he asked, looking down at Sabriena.

"Nooo," she answered slowly. "He was having such a good time with Goten, I didn't want to interrupt them." She stepped closer to Goku, "Did... ah... Did Chichi tell you what happened?" she asked nervously. She knew she'd said some pretty harsh things to Goku's wife. "I didn't mean to make you mad," she said quietly. "I just wanted to talk some sense into her."

Goku blinked at her a moment, pressing his lips thin, his brows coming together. "You call throwing a lamp at Chichi talking some sense into her?" He ran a hand through his hair, not understanding how she could be so calm about the situation. "She's furious, Sabriena. She said that you cussed her out, got into details about your love life with Tien. And then you threw a lamp at her?! She doesn't want you around the house; she doesn't want me to see you guys anymore! She says you're filling my head with nonsense and giving me the wrong ideas about marriage."

Sabriena's eyes nearly popped out of her head. "WHAT?!" she screamed. "Goku! I... She... SHE THREW THE LAMP AT ME!" she sputtered.

Tien cocked an eyebrow skeptically. "Now wait a minute, Goku. I don't doubt Sabriena had some choice words for Chichi," he paused and gave her a disapproving look, "but she wouldn't disrespect your house enough to throw a lamp. That sounds like a bit much, doesn't it?" He narrowed his eyes at Sabriena, "You discussed our love life with Chichi?"

"I... well... sorta..." she cringed, "but she called both of you dead-beat-husbands and said that all I did was lay around with my ankles over my head! So I kinda took her insult and turned it around on her."

Goku blinked at her. Relief washed over him, somehow believing her words. "So you really didnt throw a lamp at her?" He scratched at his head. "Why on earth would she tell me that?" He sighed and rubbed at his face. "Oh Chichi, why..." he moaned into his hands before letting them drop. He looked at them. "I think I knew that even before I came here. Gods, I don't want to stop seeing you two. You're my best friends. About the only ones that I see on a regular basis, but if Chichi finds out..." He shook his head; his mind was spinning trying to sort it all out, get it to all make sense. He looked at Sabriena seriously, no trace of laughter anywhere in his eyes. "Look me in the eyes and tell me you didn't throw the lamp," he said firmly. He had to be sure. He had to.

She stepped closer to him, putting her hands on his shoulders to pull him down to eye-level with him. Her hazel eyes were wide and honest. "Goku, I swear on everything I love, I did _not_ throw a lamp at your wife." She held her gaze with him, secretly begging the powers that be to let him see the honesty in her eyes. She squeezed his shoulders just a bit. "I didn't throw that lamp," she repeated quietly.

Goku sagged in relief, nodding. He could see it in her eyes, the honesty there, the truth. He winced and felt ashamed of himself. He had been blinded; Chichi hadn't been looking him in the eyes when she told him that Sabriena threw the lamp. He had just followed her word, blindly believing her. "I'm sorry. I should have known. I should have trusted you." He leaned back against the wall, staring up at the cabin. "Gods what do I do? Why does she lie to me like that? It hurts," he muttered.

Sabriena frowned. "I don't know, honey," she answered. She swallowed harshly, fighting her own temper again. "See? This is why I went and broke it off in Chichi's ass!" she snapped.

Tien sighed, "Language."

"Don't you start-"

"NO," he cut her off. "You're getting bad about it. Give me twenty. Now."

Sabriena huffed and grumbled as she threw herself to the floor, doing her pushups. "She doesn't deserve him!" she snapped as she pressed herself up and down from the floor. "She LIES to him, treats him terrible... Yeah, I cussed her out. Yeah, I threatened to kick her butt. She threatened to skin me alive first, though," she muttered as she got to her feet.

Goku didn't know what to believe any more. It hurt to hear these things said about Chichi. "No, Sabriena. She lied about you. I wish I knew why. I don't know. It's probably this war, this blasted war. I wish it were over and done with so I could make sense of things again." He sighed, "I'll still come around. We have a lot more training to do before the war gets here, now more than ever." He offered Sabriena a smile. "Just maybe we won't have you and Chichi meet again anytime soon. Wait for this all too cool off and everything, you know?"

She wanted to argue, but she saw how much this was hurting him. "Okay," she agreed. She took a deep breath, "I'm sorry I went to your house today and caused trouble. I just... I was frustrated. I shouldn't have done that. It was wrong and now you're going to have to deal with it. I'm really sorry, Goku."

Goku smiled and ruffled her hair. "It's okay. You meant well and that means a lot to me, Sabriena." He hugged her close. "I'm just so glad you didn't throw that lamp. But I'm sorry she threw it at you. You're not hurt, are you?"

"Nah, I'm not hurt," Sabriena answered him. "You sure you don't wanna stay for supper?"

"Nah, Chichi's making dinner, I don't want to miss out on a hot meal this time. Maybe I'll come by for breakfast before training, how about that?" He looked her over and shook his head. "Sorry about that. I guess I'd better get back over there. I'll see you guys for training tomorrow?"

Tien couldn't help his curiosity and interrupted their conversation. "So, ah, what EXACTLY did you tell Chichi about... you know... our private life?" he asked, a hint of nervousness in his voice.

"Oh, she said that crap about me laying around with my ankles by my ears, so you know," she shrugged, "I was like, yeah, and on his shoulders and around his waist... every single night..." She wagged her eyebrows at him. "I thought her head was going to explode."

Tien pressed his lips together trying not to laugh, but all he succeeded in doing was snorting loudly, a laugh escaping his throat anyway. "Oh dear gods," he chuckled, his face going red.

Goku blinked at her, feeling his own face heating up, "You ah...you guys do it every night?" He didn't know what to think about that. "Man, Tien! You're lucky! Chichi says normal married people barely do it once a month, if that!" He laughed and smiled at Sabriena, thinking how lucky Tien was to have found someone who loved him that much.

"And twice on Sundays," Sabriena laughed. "Hey, isn't today...?"

"Shush," Tien scolded. He shook his head; he was sorry he'd asked. "You're more than welcome to come by for breakfast tomorrow, Goku. We'll see ya then. And sorry again for all this mess," Tien said. He shot Sabriena a disapproving look. "I'll keep her in line from now on."

Sabriena threw her head back in a laugh and whispered loudly to Goku, "I just let him _think_ he keeps me in line."


	34. The Mark of a True Saiyan Warrior

Vegeta had been debating this for quite some time. It was traditional of his people to take the brand when they graduated from their training, the mark of a true Saiyan warrior. He remembered the brand on his father's chest, how King Vegeta had worn it so proudly, even prouder than the mating mark he bore to Vegeta's mother. Unfortunately, their empire came under Frieza's rule before Vegeta had been old enough to accept the brand and the practice was all but forgotten. He had trained Jennifer and Catherine and Trunks to the best of his ability and he was proud of them.

He looked at the sketch in his hand, steeling his nerves. He didn't know how Bulma would react to this, but deep down, he knew she would do it. He marched into her lab and dropped the piece of paper onto her keyboard. "Make this into a brand."

Bulma blinked, pausing in her typing to look down at the piece of paper he'd dropped on her hands. "Well, good morning to you too," she said, picking up the paper and inspecting it. "Did you draw this? It's really good. What did you say you wanted? A brand?" Her mind went a million places at once; certainly he didn't mean a brand label. A brand... a brand brand. "When you say brand you mean like what they use to mark horses or cows with?"

"That's exactly what I mean. And I want it that size, too," he answered. The sketch was about three inches tall and the lines were bold.

She blinked at him and then looked at the paper again, recognizing the Saiyan crest in the middle, a nervousness coiling in her stomach. "Just what are you going to be branding dear?"

"Myself," he answered simply. "And our children." A slight amusement rose up in his at her expression. "And I need it by tonight. Make it strong. I don't want the damn thing to slip when they jerk."

Bulma was still blinking at him, her face starting to turn pale when she realized he was serious. "Vegeta!" She dragged a hand through her hair looking down at the drawing and letting it fall back to her keyboard, looking up at him. "You are really going to brand our children!?" When they jerk!? Good lord what had gotten into this man's mind? "Okay... Okay, let's say I'm going along with this. Why? And why tonight?"

"The war is coming soon. I want those marks healed by then." He paused when he caught her worried stare, the way her eyes had gone wide like he'd lost his mind. "It's an honor. A rite of passage for a Saiyan warrior. One I was denied when Frieza took control of my people. Bardock's crew bears these marks - but they do not deserve them. Not anymore if they intend to cast their lots with Enye and her kind. I am reclaiming that mark. And our son and daughters will wear it as well."

Bulma felt herself calming as he explained, her expression softening when he mentioned his past. Gods, she loved it when he talked of his past - the good, the bad, the traditions. He wanted a mark of his own. And he wanted to share it with their kids. She remembered Frieza and sent a curse towards that horrifying alien. Anything she could help her mate get back part of his heritage, she wanted him to have. Just the branding seemed so odd. She picked up the design again and pushed herself up. "I'll get started on it right away. The computer and fabricator should have this design out in no time. I'll make it with cast iron. That's a sturdy material that should give you what you want." She looked him over curiously. "Where will you wear the mark?"

Vegeta placed a fist over his heart. "Here." He felt a great swelling of pride in the way she didn't question his reasoning. She never ceased to amaze him. The way she honored his culture, let him hold on to the remnants of what he could remember - it was more than he could ask for.

Bulma smiled at him, placing her own hand over his a moment before she turned and headed off, calling back over her shoulder, "Okay, Prince. Better go round up the kids while you have time. I'll get this thing ready to go. Is there anything else you need for this,uh, ceremony? If we're going to do it, guess we'd better go all out."

"All I need is the fire pit going in the backyard," he answered and left the room. He wandered down the hall to the living room where Catie and Trunks were lounging on the couch. "Catherine," he barked. "Get a hold of your sister. Her presence is required here tonight at ten."

Catie blinked at him. "Uh, okay," she answered. "What for?"

"Your graduation ritual from training," Vegeta answered. "Oh, and tell her to wear lose clothing." Without another word, Vegeta turned and went to the gravity room, alone, to train and run over the ritual in his head.

"We are in soooo much trouble," Trunks breathed.

Catie whipped her head towards him. "What makes you say that?"

"I can't imagine any Saiyan ritual being pleasant," Trunks answered.

Catie swallowed harshly and picked up the phone to call Jenny.

* * *

Jenny appeared that night, touching down in the backyard a quarter until ten that evening. The weather was mercifully warmer now that they were so close to the first day of Spring. She looked over at her father turning something in the fire pit before she wandered over to Catie and Trunks. "Soooooo what's up?" she asked in a hushed whisper. She spied Bulma sitting next to the fire pit, talking quietly with her mate. "Are we in trouble or something? And I have to tell you, Piccolo was not happy about me coming here tonight. At least it was after the girl's bedtime."

"I don't know," Catie answered in an equally hushed tone. She didn't like the look of Vegeta near fire. It made her nervous.

Trunks was sweating, his hands clasped together and pressed to his lips, his elbows resting on his knees which bounced in nervousness. He kept casting glances at his father, the fire. This wasn't good. A graduation ritual that involved fire and some sort of stick in Vegeta's hand? Trunks' stomach churned again and he suddenly wished he hadn't eaten so much supper.

Vegeta was frowning in concentration, watching the end of the brand growing hotter in the flames. He finally smiled when the end of the brand was a brilliant glowing orange. He couldn't suppress the shiver that ran up his spine. This was not going to be pleasant, but oh, it was so worth it. To bear the mark of his people, a warrior race, the mark of his father and his father before him was the greatest honor he could think of.

"You may watch," Vegeta said softly to Bulma. "But do not interfere." He turned to the corner of the yard where his children sat huddled together, whispering amongst themselves, casting nervous glances at him. He beckoned them over to him. "Sit," he ordered, pointing to the grass before him.

He stood silently for a few minutes, collecting his thoughts once more. "You all know the war is coming soon. We've trained for years for this. The battles that have lead up to this, they were nothing more than training. Over and over again, we have conquered our foes, met them head-on in battle, and not a one of you has fallen. Countless hours spent training, pushing yourselves further than you ever thought you could go, past your breaking points, and yet you still came back for more. Tonight, you will participate in a sacred rite of passage. Tonight, I am proud to be your father. Tonight, each of you becomes a true Saiyan warrior."

Trunks eyed the metal stick that was still sticking in the fire behind his father's back. He felt his mouth go dry. He wanted to ask what all this had to do with the fire, but he was too afraid to voice the question. His heart was pounding in his chest, a cold sweat running down the back of his neck. But underneath it, there was a sense of pride growing in him. If this ritual was sacred to the Saiyans, to his father, then he was proud to participate. This was part of his heritage. He felt the nervousness starting to dissipate in his system. Whatever it was, he could handle it. He _was_ a Saiyan, after all, and his father wouldn't invite him to participate in something this sacred if it didn't mean a great deal to him. Trunks sat up a little straighter, a fierce pride glowing in his eyes. He could almost feel the Saiyan blood coursing through his veins, bolstering his courage. True Saiyan warriors. He suddenly realized that there could be no higher honor.

Jenny shared a look with Catie before she turned her full attention to her father, seeing he look in his eyes, the passion there. She supposed she should have felt nervous. She didn't know what exactly to think. No Saiyan blood coursed in her veins, but she felt so connected to her brother, her sister, her father, her mother. Whatever this was, she wanted it; to prove that they were bloodkin, that she could withstand any test of this Saiyan Prince and prove herself.

Bulma watched on, holding her head a little higher. Vegeta spoke with such passion, gods above her she wanted him again, to be his queen, his support, whatever he needed. She sat back, watching them as she saw Vegeta lifting the red hot brand from the fire. She could see the smoke rising from it, she could feel the heat from it where she sat. She briefly wondered who as going to go first andwho was going to brand Vegeta.

Vegeta could see their eyes widening slightly as he carefully turned towards them with the brand. "This is the Saiyan crest. To wear this brand is to be a true Saiyan warrior," Vegeta's voice was soft as he spoke, but there was a fierce passion in his voice that practically dripped with pride and reverence. "My own father, King Vegeta, wore this brand. He always spoke of the day I would wear it as well. But that day never came for me - until now. It's tradition that the men wear the mark on our chests, right over our hearts. Women may choose to wear it on their arm or their hip." He swung the brand slowly before them, making sure they could see the design plainly in the semi-darkness of the yard. "There is no higher honor than to wear this mark, the symbol of our people, the mark worn only by the most powerful warriors the universe has ever seen."

Jenny swallowed harshly. She could have cried tears of happiness to be considered part of this, to be allowed to do this. It was the highest praise any of them could get from Vegeta. Oh this was going to hurt. But pain... pain was nothing. Her heart was pounding so loud, she could scarcely hear anything else. "I'll do it," she breathed, stepping forward, her legs feeling heavy and numb. She tried not to focus on the red hot brand in her father's hand. She knew he would never hurt her without purpose. And this was a glorious purpose. "Where... where on the arm?" She pulled down her shirt, exposing the expanse of unblemished skin.

Vegeta set the brand back in the fire for a moment, lest it cool and leave an improper brand. He turned Jenny so that her side was to him and he poked a finger to her shoulder. "Here," he answered. He guided Jenny to sit on her knees before him. "You must hold absolutely still. And do not scream. To recoil or cry out is to dishonor all those who have received this mark before you." Vegeta paused and picked up the brand once more. "You understand?"

Oh good gods, she must have been out of her mind. She listened to his words, do not scream, do not pull away, do not do anything. She closed her eyes a moment, imagining herself sparring with them, her family, trying to use the meditation she'd learned in bootcamp. She opened her eyes, looking up at him, and nodded. "I understand. I am ready."

She schooled her expression as he took the brand, stepping closer to her. She couldn't move; she could feel the heat, the searing heat as the iron got close to her flesh. She set her jaw, locking it and biting down on her cheek seconds before the metal was pressed to her flesh. Good gods above, she was screaming on the inside, tears bloomed in her eyes as the pain, the searing hot pain and burning flesh hit her full on. Her skin popped and crackled. It felt nothing like the energy blasts she had become used to; it was as if he was forcing a white hot rod all the way down to the center of her arm and crushing it with a vice. She was screaming on the inside at the pain, somehow managing to do nothing else save for an involuntary jerk.

Vegeta could barely contain the pride welling up in him. Save for the slightest flinch, Jenny remained still, staring straight ahead. No scream issued from her throat, no words of protest from her mouth. She accepted it willingly, proudly. "Saiyans are the most feared warriors in the universe," Vegeta said, holding the brand to her arm as the smell of burning flesh began to permeate the air. "None can compare with our strength, our speed, our tenacity. We are vicious. We are proud. We are the elite." He pulled the brand away and stuck it back into the fire, looking at the raw, blistering mark on Jenny's arm. "And now you are one of us."

She could feel herself shaking as he pulled away, but the adrenaline was coursing through her and she let out a slow breath, closing her eyes, feeling the burn continue to singe her. She wanted to see it, but she would wait. She looked up at her father, wondering if there was anything to be said, if it could go unsaid. "I am honored, father."

A small smile pulled at Vegeta's lips and he helped her to stand, turning her to face him. "I am honored to be your father," he answered, his voice quiet. "You _are_ a Saiyan now. Wear that mark with pride. I am proud of you, Jennifer, my daughter." He cupped her face in his hands and pressed a firm kiss to her forehead before he released her and picked up the brand again. "Who wants to be next?"

Jenny felt tired, but happy. Beyond happy. That praise, the protection… it was amazing. She stood up and went to her siblings, nudging at them, showing her mark proudly to them. She sat down in the cool grass, laying down on her side to watch as Trunks stepped forward. Vegeta has said he was going to be branded this night, too. She couldn't imagine anyone else doing it but Trunks; he was going to need a breather before he branded their father.

Trunks knelt before his father as Vegeta retrieved the brand once again. His fear from earlier was gone, only to be replaced by a deep sense of pride. He pulled off his black shirt, standing on his knees, his fists clenched at his sides, his muscles tightening in anticipation of the pain to come.

Vegeta held the brand steady and pressed it to his son's chest, just over his heart, repeating the same words he'd said to Jenny. The muscles in Trunks' jaw were working as he clenched his teeth against the blistering pain. His eyes watered at the smell of his own burning flesh. He spared a glance at his mother - she looked proud. He gave her a slight nod and Vegeta pulled the brand away as Trunks stood. Holy shit. He felt dizzy - whether from the pain or from the sense of newness in his system, he wasn't sure. It was strange to him how he felt now. Stronger, prouder, a primal confidence coursing through his veins that made him stand straighter, his shoulders squared. "Thank you, father," he spoke solemnly. "I am honored to wear this mark." He turned and went to sit in the grass by Jenny, feeling a connection to her in that moment that he hadn't felt before. His sister. He'd always considered her as his sister before, but now it was official.

Bulma watched on, something within her so proud of her children, strong children, strong enough to withstand this test, this rite. She had given birth to one and was mother to all. She could feel the power, the energy crackling in the air and she covered her own mark on her neck, feeling content, held, cherished. She was proud to be the wife, the queen, the lover of this man. She watched as Catie stepped up and, like Trunks and Jenny before her, did nothing more than slightly twitch at the brand touching her pale flesh. Jenny curled up next to Trunks, feeling the brother in her heart, the shared pain, the new connection between them.

Vegeta and Catie stared at each other for a moment before she turned and joined Jenny and Trunks in the grass. She'd chosen to wear the mark on her hip and had rolled the left side of her shorts up so that they wouldn't stick to the raw flesh. She smiled at Jenny and threw an arm around her neck, hugging her to her side.

Vegeta placed the brand into the fire once more, staring at it for a moment, feeling the adrenaline and excitement surging through his veins. He'd dreamed of this day for years. He stripped his shirt away, his muscles flexing under the skin, taking a moment to remember his homeland, his people. There were so few of them now. No. They were growing, reestablishing a population on this new planet, their blood mixing with the humans, creating a race all their own, ensuring the survival of the Saiyans in one form or another. "Trunks," he said, calling his son to his side. "Hold it straight. Don't be hesitant about it. I want it done right."

Trunks gave a nod and picked up the cool end of the brand, lifting it from the fire as Vegeta knelt in the grass in the same spot his children had. Vegeta locked eyes with Bulma for a moment, his queen, the mother of his children, the only woman he could ever imagine at his side. A small knot formed in his throat as he caught the look of pride in her eyes. She was proud of him, proud to be his mate, and for a fleeting moment he thought that that might be even a higher honor than wearing this brand.

Jenny watched on, Trunks repeating the words his father had to them, pressing the brand into his father's skin. Vegeta did not even jerk or twitch, there were no tears in his eyes, only the fierce pride as he stared straight ahead, looking at Bulma and his son.

Bulma had known Vegeta wouldn't move, not with the way he talked of it after waiting for so long for this. It was perfect. She had thoughts about that scar, once it was healed. Animalistic, raw thoughts made her watch on with a predatory gleam in her eyes. Her mate had done more than well preparing their children for battle. She knew that they would come back to her alive.

Vegeta breathed hard through his nose as the red hot brand pressed to his flesh. It was almost a pleasant sensation instead of a painful one. He supposed it was because he wanted this for so long that to finally experience it was more akin to pleasure than anything else. He wrapped his tail tighter around his waist to keep it from coiling and writhing in excitement. It did hurt, though. Underneath the excitement and pride, he was still vaguely aware of the pain that seared his chest. He still didn't move, even after Trunks had pulled the brand away. Vegeta looked down at the burned flesh of his chest, his pride hitting the bursting point. It looked exactly like his father's. Bulma had done well creating this brand for him. It was perfect.

He got to his feet, extending a hand to Trunks and they grabbed each other's wrists for a moment, a sense of unity and pride growing between them. Vegeta beckoned Catie and Jenny to stand on either side of them. "We are Saiyan warriors," Vegeta said in a voice that was barely more than a whisper. "There are none that can stop us. None that can compare to us. We will enter this battle with our heads held high and we shall return the same way. There is only victory."

Bulma got cold chills running down her spine at the sight of the combined power. It was something to behold. She loved the look on her husband's face. Full of pride, contentment, happiness. She looked at the brand resting in the fire, glowing bright red once more. She looked back at her husband, feeling a surge of lust, commitment to him. The scars over his back, the ones she knew were on his chest, his legs. She felt territorial, her heart pounding. She blinked; it was something new about the energy now filling the backyard. That symbol held more power than they realized.

Vegeta released Trunks' arm and let his hand drop back to his side. "Keep those clean, let them heal," he instructed, his voice returning to its normal tone. "Try not to touch it too much. You don't want an infection. You should all heal rather quickly." He fixed Jenny with an intense stare. "And let it heal naturally. No magick. And don't let that Namek try to heal you either. Dende doesn't have to go around rescuing everyone from every little cut or bruise all the time."

She nodded. No, she would definitely not heal this with magick. She could already hear Piccolo in her head, scolding her for it, but she had wanted this. This sense of belonging to a real, true family. It just made their connection that much stronger. "I'll be back in the morning to finish the armor. It's almost done. Thank you again, Father." She smiled, knowing she didn't need to hug him. It was too much, but he understood. She hugged Catie and Trunks tightly before she took off to the sky.

Bulma walked up next to them, watching Jenny take off towards the Lookout, slipping her hand into Vegeta's, her arm brushing his tail. She looked at the mark on his chest, the flesh angry and raw. The indent of the crest was obvious and beautifully cut. She wondered how long it would take to heal because she was having some rather intimate thoughts about it. She didn't know why. A mark like that needed to be worshiped almost as much as the man who carried it. She wondered how sensitive it would be if she traced it with her tongue would he squirm? Would he growl in her ear? She reached out, carefully touching the soft fur of his tail, shivering at the feel of it.

Vegeta's tail tingled at the soft touch from his mate's fingertips. There was an energy about her, a primal, powerful feeling that sent a chill up his spine. His tail uncoiled from his waist and snaked around her thigh. Without a word to Trunks or Catie, he took Bulma's hand in his own and led her into the house. He finally felt whole. He had his tail back and the mark on his chest, the mating mark on his neck. He was truly the prince of all Saiyans once again.

* * *

Piccolo laid awake in bed, one arm tucked behind his head. He couldn't fathom why Vegeta had demanded that Jenny come to Capsule Corp at this time of night. He shifted uneasily on the bed - it felt cold and empty without his wife. Piccolo sighed. Surely she'd be home shortly. It was nearing midnight and she had already figured out how to imbue the armor with magick. Now all that was left putting some minor finishing details on it, which was no reason to stay out this late.

He heard her the second she landed on the Lookout and his eyes went to the door, waiting patiently for her to enter. _'This had better be good.'_

Jenny had the entire flight home to figure out what she was going to tell Piccolo. She couldn't imagine he was going to be very happy about this. Hell, he had thrown a fit when she had cut her hair with Vegeta. She shook her head; an entire flight home and she had no idea what to say to him. She felt extremely... she couldn't say what it was... primal? Powerful, connected to her family more than she could explain. She carefully made her way to her bedroom, pausing a few moments to check in on her children, both sleeping peacefully. She was stalling and she knew it. She went to her bedroom and carefully opened the door, seeing her husband's eyes watching her as she did. "Hey, hon," she said, going over to her dresser and pulling out her night gown, if the sheer little lacy thing could be called as such. But it was comfortable as well as sexy; a little present to herself after Alice had been born. She hesitated only a moment before she pulled her shirt off, hissing only slightly as the movement made the brand sting.

Piccolo gave her a small smile when she came in. "Home before midnight. I'm impressed." He sat up and narrowed his eyes when she hissed as she took off her shirt. There was something on her arm. The skin looked raw, blistered, cracked. Piccolo felt like he'd swallowed a block of ice. "Jenny, what is that?" he asked, trying to get a better look at her arm. "What happened? Are you okay?!"

Jenny could have slapped herself for drawing attention to the mark. She walked over to the bed, slipping the nightgown on before she climbed onto the bed, facing her husband. "I'm fine, Piccolo. Vegeta just... well... first you have to know it was part of this ancient Saiyan ritual for when warriors become true Saiyans, the best fighters they can be. He wanted to share that with us, Catie and Trunks and me." She turned and showed Piccolo the mark. "It's the Saiyan crest."

Piccolo felt like he'd been punched in the gut. He knew Jenny respected and admired Vegeta, but to go this far was nothing short of crazy. He grabbed Jenny's forearm to get a better look at her shoulder. "You let him mark you?! Is that... is that a burn? He BRANDED you?!" He let go of his wife, unable to fathom what had gotten into any of them. This was ridiculous. He drew a long breath through his nose, forcing himself to remain calm. He didn't want a blow-out with her over this, but he just could not wrap his mind around it. "You'd better explain, and you'd better do it fast," he said in an eerily low voice.

Jenny actually felt a wave of fear wash over her at how quiet Piccolo had gotten. "Piccolo...Vegeta's my dad now. I've never had a reliable father before, you know that. And this was a tradition that died out before he could receive his own brand. So tonight, he had Bulma make a brand of the Saiyan crest and we all took the mark. There is no higher honor, he said. He looked so happy after he got his mark; I don't know how many years he had been waiting... waiting for a family he could call his own, with sons and daughters he could share this with, who are strong enough to share this. Piccolo, I wanted it. There was no way I was going to say no, not after I finally have a father, the best I've ever had. I never cared before with Michael about gaining his approval. I didn't care what that drunk thought. But now, I don't want to let Vegeta down. Not when we've worked so hard for this family. Our family."

Piccolo listened to her words carefully. He could see the passion in her eyes. He hadn't realized up to that point how much Vegeta really meant to her. He knew she referred to him as her father now, she'd been doing that for months, but it hadn't really sunk in to him how much that meant to her. He'd never had the displeasure of meeting Michael, and to be honest, he had no desire to do so. He already knew the human's opinion of him and their daughters. He'd been struggling with this family dynamic that Jenny and her friends were always talking about. Calling all of their friends family. It was still sort of a foreign concept to him. The closest he'd ever had before Jenny was Dende - they'd become brothers when Piccolo fused with Nail.

There was something different about Jenny now. She seemed stronger, bolder, prepared to defend her choice with her entire being. There was no use in arguing with her at this point. It was already done. "I wish you'd talked with me before you did this," he finally said. "But if you feel that strongly about it, then I support you. I'm not going to pretend to like it, but I can respect what it means to you. And to Vegeta." He gave her a sweeping look. "And if you thought that nightgown was going to distract me, you thought wrong," he added with a smirk.

Jenny sighed, sticking out her lip in a pout. "Well, I couldn't think of anything else to do. I knew you weren't going to like it." She flopped onto her stomach next to him, propping her chin up with her hand. "You are right, I should have called you and talked it out first. It just happened so fast. We didn't realize what we were doing until he was ready to go." She sighed and reached out, laying a hand on his arm, tracing the intricate muscles and skin she knew so well.

Piccolo shivered at her touch. He sighed; she was still trying to distract him from what had occurred that night, but now it was starting to work. He cringed at the sight of the mark on her arm. It looked excruciatingly painful. He cupped her cheek in his hand, dragging a thumb across her beautifully pale skin, his expression softening. "Why can't I stay mad at you?" he asked quietly. His eyes went to the mark again. "At least let Dende heal that up a little. I'm sure he can leave enough so that it still leaves a mark."

Jenny cursed inside of her head and shook her head. "Nah, its fine really." She saw the shiver and she was all for a distraction; she really didn't want to argue about something that was said and done with. She pushed herself up into a sitting position, smiling wickedly at him. "So the nightgown didn't work. I suppose I'll have to think of something else." She took the nightgown off, exposing herself completely to him before she moved to sit in his lap. She reached up carefully, delicately tracing his antenna with the tip of her finger.

A low growl rumbled in Piccolo's throat and he locked eyes with her. Gods, she looked gorgeous. His hands slid to her waist, loving the feel of her creamy smooth skin in his hands. He leaned forward, tracing the valley between her breasts with his tongue. "Wait," he protested, pulling back and looking at her. "There's no way that can be 'fine'. It looks painful. Why not let Dende heal it?" Did she have to grind in his lap like that? He was growing hard. Damn her. Her distraction was working better and better by the moment.

Jenny could feel his length hardening in his pajama pants that he wore and she ground her hips against him again, groaning out as she rubbed it against her clit. "No, I was given strict orders to let it heal naturally, on its own. No magick, no spells." She let her eyes open and she leaned forward to his chest, going after a darkly colored nipple and swirled her tongue around the hardening nub, biting at it lightly, using her other hand to pinch and pull at the other one. Gods, she was already getting wet. Piccolo was so big; she wanted that length buried deep in her. She had another idea though and she moved herself from his lap, tugging the flap open, freeing his engorged length. Now this was the part that was going to take some balance. She supposed it would be like a sitting up sixty-nine for him. She moved, pushing him to lean against the headboard as she climbed on him until she was staring at his length, and her legs were on either side of his shoulders. She traced the tip of his sex, rubbing the bead of precum around the tip. "Any more objections?"

Piccolo's eyes went wide at the new position. Objections? He felt his will slipping... oh to hell with it. "Nope," he answered and quickly smothered her sex with his mouth. He moaned at the sweet taste of her, one hand grabbing her hip, helping to hold her up, the other wrapping around her, pulling her tighter against his body. He let his fangs lightly drag over her lips, smirking to himself as he felt her shiver in his arms. He pressed his face harder against her body, the tip of his tongue finding the sensitive nub of flesh, twirling tight circles around it before he gave her a harsh suck, moaning against her again.

Jenny moaned loudly, her hips bucking against him as he sucked on her clit, making her see stars. Oh that... ooooo… that definitely eased the pain in her shoulder. She was not going to be out done. She grasped him, her hand barely fitting around the base of his length as closed her lips around the head of his erection and sucked hard, making obscene slurps and sucking noises, moaning around the flesh in her mouth. Gods, she would never get tired of that taste, like fresh grass, clean water. Delicious. She tongued at the slit at the tip, hoping to coax more precum from him, nipping lightly here and there. She relaxed her throat and allowed gravity to help her take all of him in at once, moaning around him before she started bobbing her head, letting him slide in and out of her throat.

Piccolo shuddered as he found his hard cock buried in his wife's throat. What had gotten into her? She was always enthusiastic, but never quite so aggressive about it. Making sure her thighs were balanced on his shoulders, Piccolo ran his hands up to cup her ass, letting his right hand slip forward a little more, using his fingers to tease at the opening to her body. He slid two fingers into her as he continued to tongue at her clit, pressing the digits deeply inside her, feeling for that velvety soft spot that would drive her wild. His other hand dared to trail down to the back of her head, resting there, feeling her bobbing on his aching cock. Good gods, that felt incredible.

Jenny couldn't stop the sudden moan and spasm of her hips as Piccolo's fingers delved inside of her, mercilessly teasing her g-spot. Oh gods damn this Namek, knowing how to play her like a fine instrument. She rocked her hips back on his fingers, trying to take more of him inside of her. What had happened to her? She was ravenous for him. She pulled away from the cock in her mouth, giving Piccolo a needy moan over her shoulder, a purr, almost a growl. "Fuck me hard, Namek," she ordered, crawling forward on the bed, raising her ass up in the air, laying her head down on the mattress, looking back at him. "Look at how wet I am for you."

Piccolo's breath caught in his throat. That mark had done something to his wife. What in the world was going on? He'd have to figure it out but right now... ohhhh... all he could see was her beautiful body spread before him, eagerly waiting for him. He shucked off his pajama pants and got to his knees behind her. Since when did she call him "Namek"? He shook his head and ran a hand appreciatively over her ass. Gods, he wanted her. He gripped her hips and teased her wet slit with the tip of his cock. He shivered again, feeling that wet heat on him. She practically dripped onto his hot cock, his length aching to be inside her tight body. Trying to control himself, Piccolo slowly slid his cock into her, a moan issuing from his throat as he did so. Oh, he couldn't hold back. One hand on her hip, the other on her shoulder, he pulled her backwards, ramming her onto his cock. "Oh, gods, yessss," Piccolo hissed, repeating the action, feeling their bodies jar with every impact, his cock swelling deliciously already.

She couldn't breathe, all her air was being used to moan out as her husband pounded her into the mattress. Oh good gods, had he always been that big? She loved it, a grin forming on her face as she squeezed at that thick cock as hard as she could. He was hitting every perfect spot inside of her, splitting her so wide. Her pleasure was quickly growing, the pain from the mark, the delicious friction of her husband. "YES! YES! YES! Fuck! Harder! OOOOH..." She gasped, feeling her orgasm teetering just in front of her. "Fuck yes! Baby, I'm coming! I'm Coming!"

Piccolo was so close to that edge already, but hearing the naughty words from her mouth drove him wild. "JENNY!" he shouted as his cock exploded inside her, filling her with his hot essence, his body draining into hers. Oh, it was pure bliss. He couldn't remember a better orgasm. What had she turned into? He was still thrusting, his cock swelling again. Could it be? Oh gods, yes it was. A second orgasm washed over him, stronger than the first and he roared to the night, his whole body lost in the ecstasy that consumed him.

Jenny shrieked her pleasure as she felt Piccolo come twice, filling her so deeply with that hot cum and she made a silent prayer to the gods for her birth control to hold out. It felt as if her very blood had caught fire and she turned and watched Piccolo still in his throes of passion, pumping into her until at last he stilled and leaned forward, nearly collapsing on her. "Mmmm, that was great," she purred. She squeezed at his softening cock in her. "You know how to make me feel good, baby."

Piccolo felt boneless, like he could absolutely melt right there on the bed. He'd never come so hard in his life. "Two questions," he panted. "What... the hell... happened... to you?"

Jenny giggled, pulling from him and gasping out loud as he slipped from her body, leaving her feeling empty. Moving to recline next to him, she traced his antennae carefully. "That was one question, dear. And I'm not sure. I just feel so... mmm… like I could do this all night." She wondered if he would protest. What then? She could tie him up and just have her wicked way with him all night.

"Second question," he gasped, still struggling to catch his breath. He reclined on his side, propping his head up on one hand. "Please tell me you took your birth control today?"

She laughed. "Oh gods, yes. Not making another one of those, even though our kids are pretty amazing. Not yet, at least." She let her hand fall to cup his cheek, admiring at the contrast of their skin colors. The strong jawline, his pointed nose, his ears. Everything about him was appealing to her and he was hers just as much as she was his. She grinned at him. "Mmm I think I'm ready for round two. Unless you're getting tired, Namek."

Piccolo grinned. "You won't last the night if I have my way," he answered, grabbing his wife and pulling her to him, planting a fierce kiss on her lips. "Now's the real test of who has more endurance. The Nameks or the Saiyans."


	35. Playing in the Rain

Goku groaned as he finally managed to make it out of the house. He had sat with Goten at the table most of the night and then in his room while his kiddo had worked on the mountain of homework Chichi had assigned him. He accidentally broke another glass so Chichi made him sleep on the couch. _AGAIN. _ He sighed and rubbed at his back, wondering if he could convince his wife to let him sleep in the bed with her tonight. The couch was cold and even though he had a blanket, he loved to curl around his mate when he slept. He just slept better that way. He woke up too late for breakfast, or Chichi told him he did, he could usually smell food a mile away, even in his dreams, but not this morning. He sighed, maybe he could guilt Sabriena into giving him some left over bread and jam this morning.

"You spoil me, girl," Tien warned as Sabriena set a mountain of pancakes, eggs, and sausage before him.

"You need your energy," she winked at him. "You know, what with losing all that sleep at night now."

"It's your fault," he snickered. He felt his length twitch as he thought about WHY he'd been losing so much sleep lately. He shook his head and tucked into his breakfast, moaning at the sweet taste of the pancakes.

Sabriena had almost sat down in her chair when there was a knock at the door. "Goku!" she cried as she answered it. "You're early today."

Goku was met with the scent of something better than just fresh bread and jam. He couldn't stop his stomach from growling loudly as the wave of warm air hit him. He chuckled and looked down at her, "Well, I missed breakfast at home, and I figured you guys would be done with it already too, so I just came on over." Chichi's voice echoed in his head that it was rude to invite himself to someone else's meal, "I'll just wait outside until you are finished. Do you, ah, have a piece of bread or something I can munch on while I wait for you both?"

"Oh yeah, like I'm gonna make you sit outside and eat a piece of bread," she snipped sarcastically and grabbed his wrist pulling him into the cabin. "Sit," she ordered, pointing at a chair. "I made too much this morning anyway." She knew there probably wasn't enough there for Goku to really stuff himself like he liked to do, but he could at least get his stomach to stop rumbling. If he stayed to train all day, she could make it up to him at lunch time. She grabbed a plate and filled it for him like she had Tien and slid it across the table. "Breakfast is served," she smiled and sat in her own chair.

Goku blinked down at the full plate and looked over at Tien, chuckling, "You sure you don't mind me eating your breakfast? What if you want seconds?" His smile grew wider as Tien waved him off and he looked to Sabriena excitedly. "Thank you!" He tucked in, the pancakes were fluffy, the sausage savory and the eggs melted in his mouth. It was gone in a hot second and he leaned back, breathing in a deep happy sigh as his stomach stopped its complaining. "Wow! Thank you guys! I really appreciate it!" He chuckled, "I'll really step up the training to thank you!" He winked. "No charge!"

Tien snickered as he continued to eat his breakfast. Gods, he would never get over how good her cooking was. He ate hungrily, drinking deeply from his coffee cup. She was wearing him out at night. The food and coffee wasn't helping much, especially when their days were mostly spent sparring with Goku.

Sabriena picked at her food, eating only a tiny bit of it before she pushed it towards Goku. "I'm full. You want it?"

Goku blinked at her mostly full plate and then back at her. "Are you sure? You're going to need your energy today, too," he said as he reached out to take the plate. He winced as he did, pausing to reach around to his back and tried to stretch it. He sighed, sleeping on the couch was fine, but it was lumpy and didn't really give him much room to really stretch out. He smiled after he worked the crick out and took Sabriena's plate, eagerly eating the food given to him. He felt better already. "Wow! This was really great!" He wondered if he could try the dinner again with Chichi, but maybe convince Sabriena to cook for him. If Chichi had a bite of this amazing food, there was no way she would be in a bad mood.

Tien frowned at Sabriena. He knew what she was doing and he could appreciate that, but at the same time, he didn't want her skipping meals. He fixed her with a pointed stare. "You'll have to make a big lunch," he stated firmly.

She blushed slightly, knowing he'd caught her, and she nodded. She knew Goku often missed breakfast or didn't get much of one at all. She could skimp on one meal if it made him feel better.

Tien watched as Goku rubbed at his own back. "You hurt yourself?" he asked in a concerned tone as he finally sat back from his empty plate, refilling his coffee cup again.

Goku laughed and shook his head. "Oh no, I'm fine really! Just couldn't get the couch to cooperate with me last night. I don't know how that thing can be so lumpy all the time. I just slept on it wrong. I'll be fine once we start warming up for the day." He looked happily to Sabriena. "Thank you. Really, thank you for the breakfast," he said.

"No problem," she answered and got up to clear away the dirty plates. She frowned as she saw Goku wince again, shifting in his chair, stretching his back. She looked questioningly at Tien, wondering if he'd be upset if she offered to rub Goku's back for him. She felt so sorry for him, always sleeping on that couch. It couldn't be comfortable and after he spent all of his time training, he needed a proper night's sleep somewhere where he could rest his muscles. "Goku, you want me to rub your back for you?" she asked cautiously, relaxing when Tien didn't give her a funny look.

Tien looked at her. "You can grab that salve up there," he said, pointing at a little jar on the shelf. He looked at Goku, "I use it all the time when I pull a muscle. It'll help." He didn't think anything of her rubbing Goku's back, although he couldn't help but think of the wonderful massages he and Sabriena would give each other in the evenings.

Goku blinked at Tien, he turned, or tried to turn to Sabriena to thank her again. "Thank you, but I really - ouch!" he cried as he twisted too much and he looked sheepish. "Ah, well, maybe a small massage wouldn't hurt. That is, if it's okay with you?" he said as he leaned forward, resting his arms on the table. He paused, feeling awkward, did he leave his shirt on or take it off? He loosened it from his belt, she could slip her hands under if she wanted, he supposed.

Sabriena smiled and grabbed the jar, walking over to stand behind Goku. "Oh, quit being modest," she playfully scolded and grabbed his shirt, pulling it over his head. "I've seen you in less. We went swimming together all the time last summer for crying out loud."

Tien chuckled at Goku's blush and sheepish expression. "She won't bite ya," he teased.

"Mmmm, I might," she added, laughing as Tien choked on his coffee. Sabriena scooped a decent amount of the salve out of the jar and rubbed it between her hands for a moment to warm it before she started to rub at his shoulder blades. "Tell me where it hurts."

Goku couldn't stop the sigh that escaped through his lips at the feeling of that cool salve and her warm hands on his back and he leaned forward more, resting his head on his folded arms. "Mostly in the middle, along my spine," he said, hissing as her hand ran over it and then sighed as she worked his muscles loose agai., "Oooooh... thank you," he murmured, "I have got to convince Chichi to invest in a new couch."

"You need to sleep in a BED," Sabriena corrected him. She sighed through her nose, shaking her head at Tien who shook his in return.

"Well, maybe I'll just steal yours," Goku teased. "I do kind'a miss sleeping with Tien."

"You gotta stop saying it like that, Goku," Tien groaned.

Sabriena slowly worked her thumbs down his spine, leaning her weight into the massage, trying to work the knots and kinks out of his back. She gave a little jump as she touched the slightly rough skin of his tail scar - she'd never paid much attention to it before.

Goku's eyes flew open as she rubbed over his tail scar, his cock throbbing and jumping to attention in a hot second. A moan escaped his lips before he could stop himself, a shiver working its way through him. He leaned his head back down into his arms, hoping Tien didn't see the blush that appeared on his cheeks. Oooooh that had never happened before. Then again, Chichi had never touched him there before. He swallowed and tried to focus on willing away his erection.

Sabriena smiled at the soft moan from Goku's lips, thinking she must've been really working out a knot that was bothering him. She focused her attention on his lower back, rubbing the muscles there, paying no attention now to when her thumbs rubbed at his scar.

Tien watched curiously, narrowing his eyes a bit, sipping his coffee. Goku's breathing had changed, his fingers digging into his biceps as he hid his face in his arms. What was up with that?

Goku was biting his lip so hard, trying not to moan out as he tried to hide his growing erection. He had no idea that his tail scar was that sensitive. That it could bring him that kind of pleasure. It was embarrassing. He was sure his friends would be disgusted with him if they found out. He couldn't stifle another moan as she pressed harder into his scar, and it took everything he had to force his hips to stop from thrusting forward. He closed his eyes tightly, knowing he should tell her to stop, but by the gods that felt good.

Sabriena worked her way up his back again, rubbing at the back of his neck, his shoulders, down over his muscular back once more. The cool salve smelled of mint and made her hands tingle a bit as she rubbed on him. A sudden idea struck her as she wondered if Tien would enjoy that tingling sensation in other areas. She smirked at him and gave him a little wink, sliding her hands back down Goku's spine, letting her fingertips really work into the small of his back where she'd heard him moan before. That spot must've really been bothering him.

Goku couldn't stop the gasp that worked out of him as he felt that tingling salve worked into his scar. It sent a shiver up his spine and a heat to his groin; he could feel a drop of precum working its way out of the tip. He had to say something. "That..." he shivered as the tingling intensified, "That's good." He tried not to moan as those talented fingers worked into his muscles around the scar. "That's better. Thank you. You can stop now." He was so confused. He was torn, wanting her to finish, wanting to finish himself. But he knew a moment like this was to be shared between husband and wife. He felt guilty; he shouldn't have let her keep rubbing at him like that.

Sabriena smiled and withdrew her hands, patting him on the shoulder a couple times. She was proud of herself for making him feel better. Well if his wife wasn't going to do it, then Sabriena would. Maybe Goku would realize that there was something better for him out there. He needed to see that women could be kind and caring, not cold and judging all the time. She leaned down, speaking softly in his ear, "did that feel good?"

Goku couldn't stop himself from shivering. Oh gods above, help him. Her low, soft voice. He nodded. "Yes," he said, hoping that she didn't hear the lust, the arousal in his voice. He took a deep breath, keeping his eyes closed as he tried to will away his aching cock. He dared look up at Tien, wondering if he knew, if Sabriena knew what had happened, but the kind looks he received put him at ease.

"All right then," Tien said, setting down his coffee cup and getting to his feet. "Let's go outside. We've got training to do."

Sabriena headed for the door as Tien followed her. She paused and looked back at the table. "Goku, aren't you coming?"

_'Almost,'_ Goku thought to himself. He nodded. "Uh, yeah, just ah... give me a sec, I'll be out in a minute. I'm just... letting my back settle after that wonderful massage." He could have kicked himself at the lame excuse but it was all he could come up with.

Tien snickered at his friend. "All right. We'll see you outside."

Sabriena laughed as she and Tien stepped outside and said, "He's gonna fall asleep at the table. We'll have to wake him up for lunch."

* * *

Sabriena glanced at the sky again that afternoon. Dark clouds were rolling in, making her nervous. She was running through options in her head as she sparred with her husband and Goku. They could hide in the cellar if it got too bad, she supposed. But she wasn't sure she trusted those old doors to hold up in a really bad storm like the one she'd gone through back in the US. Maybe Goku could teleport them to Capsule Corp. Surely there was a basement there - or maybe no storm at all. She took a moment to concentrate and throw a small blast of energy at Tien, before she looked up at the sky once more.

Goku took advantage of her momentary distraction to land a hard punch to her jaw, knocking her to the ground.

Tien frowned. "Sabriena! Pay attention! You could've blocked that!" he scolded.

She got up, rubbing her jaw where she'd been hit. "Sorry," she muttered.

"What has gotten into you?" Tien demanded. "You've been distracted for the past two hours."

"Nothing," she lied. "It's nothing." She dropped into a fighting stance once again, but a moment later a loud clap of thunder rumbled overhead and Sabriena gave a shriek of fright and cringed.

Goku blinked at her, dropping his power level before he looked up at the darkened sky, the wind blowing in carried the promise of a long and bad night. He looked back at Sabriena, his face turning sympathetic. "What's wrong? It's just a thunderstorm. It's not even here yet." He gave her a smile, "want to go inside until it passes? We could have an early dinner!"

"Yes!" she squeaked and grabbed Goku by the wrist, dragging him with her as she ran for the cabin. Tien sighed and shook his head, following them into his home. "The storm isn't here yet," he protested, looking sour. "We have training to do." This happened every time it stormed. Sabriena would panic and hide in the cabin until it passed.

"I am not training in a storm!" Sabriena argued. "And neither are either of you! We're staying in here where it's somewhat safe."

Goku blinked as he was in the cabin faster than he could fathom. "Why don't you move that fast in training?" He shook his head and looked at Tien. "Every time it storms?" He looked back at Sabriena, "what happens if the enemy works up a storm during the war?" He pulled her back to the door, looking outside as the wind picked up. "Why are you afraid?"

Sabriena planted her feet firmly on the threshold of the door and tried to back up, but Goku was unmovable. "I don't... like... storms!" she whined, her face starting to go red. She could feel her heart racing, her breathing quickening as her hands began to shake. She hated this. She'd never been bothered by a storm before that huge one that had destroyed the warehouse. She finally squeezed past Goku and stumbled backwards, landing hard on the floor. "All my friends were killed in that big storm when Paige was kidnapped! I... I can't..." She drew her knees up to her chest and hid her face.

Tien looked sympathetically at her. "She gets really freaked out," Tien said to Goku before he looked back down at his wife. "But Goku's right. What are you going to do if they create a storm in the middle of battle? You have to get over this."

Goku's face softened, understanding reaching his eyes. He went to her, kneeling down and reaching out to her, rubbing her back softly. "I'm sorry. I had forgotten. After everything with Gohan, when he died in that castle, I forgot about everyone else that was affected. Those storms were terrible. Many people died who weren't supposed to. Do you think it's going to happen again? The building come down on us or what?"

"I don't know," she answered in a small voice. It had been bad enough trying to save her friends, pulling their lifeless bodies from the rubble. But if she lost Goku or Tien... well, if Tien died she would too, but she wasn't ready for that again. Not yet. "If... If I lost you all, any of our friends here... I couldn't handle that. I don't want to die again." Another clap of thunder shook the cabin and Sabriena gave a squeak, curling over her knees even more.

Tien sighed and sat down next to her. "No one's going to die, Sabriena," he tried to reassure her. "It's just a bit of rain. I think it's time you faced your fears."

She shook her head violently as the first drops of rain began to splatter against the windows.

Goku smiled at her, looking at Tien a moment before he gently tugged on her arm. "Come on, let's just go look at the rain. It smells great outside when it rains like this." He went to the door, the humidity with the rain washing over him like a wave. It felt good on his skin, hot from their sparring. "See?" He could see her still shaking. "Sabriena" he started softly, "It's not the storms you fear. It's what they represent to you, what you associate them with."

"Goku and I are right here with you," Tien said in a soft voice. "We won't let anything hurt you. I swear."

Sabriena chewed her lip, staring uncertainly out the door at the rain. She took Tien's hand in hers, and slipped her other hand into Goku's, trying to stop the shaking she felt. "Okay," she said nervously.

Tien smiled and took a step out into the cold rain, pulling on her arm, but she stood where she was in the door. "Sabriena," he sighed, giving her hand another tug. She shook her head and he gave a small laugh. It wasn't funny, but there was something adorable about the expression on her face. "Sabriena, come on." She finally stepped out of the cabin, flinching when the rain hit her face.

Goku raised his face to the rain, feeling it soaking his clothes, his hair pulled down with the weight of the water. He squeezed Sabriena's hand in his own before he looked at her, rubbing her back. "Hey! Look at that, you made it!" He held onto her as lighting and thunder struck again. "These storms won't kill you, you are much too strong for that. You are stronger than this storm and you are going to be stronger than our enemy when the war comes around."

Sabriena squeezed their hands tightly, so tight in fact that Tien nearly winced. "Breathe, Sabriena," he said in a soothing voice.

She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. Actually, the rain did feel kinda good after working so hard at their training. She tilted her head down slightly, letting the water fall over the back of her neck, soaking her hair and clothes. She managed not to flinch at the next rumble of thunder and her grip on their hands relaxed. Tien wouldn't let the storm hurt her. And neither would Goku. She could feel the fear starting to lessen as she stood in the rain with them. She finally looked at her husband, giving him a small smile. Gods, he looked amazing with that white shirt clinging to him like that in the rain. She looked at Goku - he looked so cute with his hair all weighed down like that - and gave him a little smile as well. "This... isn't so bad..." she admitted.

Goku laughed and tugged on her arm, letting go and twirling around in the rain, the lightning flashes lighting him periodically. "See! Loosen up! It's going to be alright!" He sighed happily, falling down into a defensive pose to wait while Sabriena got herself together "Come on, this storm isn't as bad as me!" He chuckled, smiling warmly at her. Though the rain was icy cold on him, it was worth it if he could help her overcome her fear. He was going to have to remember to dry off before he went back home. Chichi would hurt him if he tracked water over everything.

Sabriena couldn't help but laugh at him. "As bad as you? You're a big softie and you know it," she teased back.

Tien gave her a push towards Goku. "Get him."

Sabriena stilled her mind for a moment, trying to get herself back into sparring mode. She opened her eyes again and threw her wet hair over her shoulder as she dropped into stance once again. "Let's go," she finally said and launched herself at the Saiyan, finally able to concentrate again.

Tien was proud of his wife as she sparred with them. Even when the wind picked up and the rain came down in driving sheets, she made herself continue. It wasn't until after the sun set that the three of them tromped into the cabin.

"I am soaked and freezing," Tien chuckled as he pulled fresh clothes from the wardrobe for himself and Sabriena and grabbed an extra pair of pants for Goku. "Here, you can throw those on until your clothes are dry," he said as he undressed and pulled on his dry clothes.

Sabriena turned her back to Goku, covering her eyes, even if she really was tempted to peek. "Go ahead and I'll hang our clothes up by the fire," she said. "Don't worry, I won't look."

Goku perked up and he nodded. "That'd be great! Thanks!" He hurriedly stripped down, trying not to shiver when the cooler air of the cabin hit his damp skin, pulling on Tien's pants quickly and picked up his wet clothes as they dripped on the floor. "Oops! Sorry about this. I gotta ring this out before you hang it up in front of the fire." He shivered, going over and ringing them out the front door. He went to the fireplace and looked around for a good place to hang them up, goosebumps appearing on his skin. "I wish this weather would make up its mind. One day it's nice and warm and the next it's cold and raining again!"

Sabriena went to the wardrobe next, pulling out some clothes of her own and quickly changed as Tien stood in front of her, trying to give her a bit of privacy. "Ah, warm clothes," she sighed. She gathered up her wet clothes and grabbed Tien's, then draped them over the chairs and dragged them to the fireplace. "You cold?" she asked Goku and rubbed at his bicep, trying to warm him. "How about some supper? That might warm you up."

Goku shivered when she touched him, her hands warmer than his skin. He nodded, his stomach growling in agreement. "Yeah. That would be great! I mean, as long as it's okay with you guys! I swear I don't mean to eat you out of house and home! I could try to buy some stuff from the store to replace your stocks when you feed me?"

Sabriena shook her head. "No, you're fine. Don't worry about it," she smiled.

"We don't eat anything from the store anyway, really," Tien added. "I'm too used to the food I grow out here. I get sick every time I try to eat that stuff."

"I think he's just picky," Sabriena said in a loud whisper to Goku. She cringed as Tien quickly popped the back of her head. "That's it," she growled, grabbing her big wooden spoon and turned around to whack him repeatedly with it.

He laughed and shied away from her, but she continued to smack him with it. "Stop! Stop!" Tien laughed. "Ow! Goku, help!"

"Oh, don't you use Goku against me," she growled and jumped on Tien's back, trying to wrestle him to the floor.

Goku laughed and jumped into the fray, forgetting his coldness as he play wrestled with Sabriena and Tien, pulling Sabriena back against his chest, wrapping his arms around hers and held them above her head. "Get her, Tien, get her!" he laughed as she tried to squirm against him, resulting in him only holding her tighter. "Hey! You are really warm!" He snuggled his cold nose against her neck.

"And you're really cold!" she cried, wiggling against him.

Tien was laughing so hard, he was barely able to get to his feet. He smirked at Goku holding her like that and immediately went for her ribs, tickling her as she screamed and tried to writhe out of Goku's grasp.

"Let go! Let go!" she begged, but the two men were laughing, all three of them having too much fun. Sabriena could only think of one thing to get Goku to let go of her - make him as uncomfortable as possible. She pressed her ass back against his hips and wiggled them. "Oh, yeah, baby," she purred.

Goku's eyes went wide and he immediately dropped Sabriena's arms and let go of her, backing away, his face confused at the briefest flash of pleasure. It confused him, his mind going immediately to his wife and what she would to do him if she had seen them like that. It was too much, after the massage that morning and now this, Goku thought he might lose his mind. "I, ah, I should get back to Chichi." He touched his mark, but it felt a twinge cold. But he couldn't get that moment out of his head, the lusty voice, the warm curvy body against him. It had been too long since he had been able to enjoy his mate properly.

"What? Why? We haven't even had supper!" Sabriena giggled. She tipped her head to the side, seeing the expression on Goku's face. It wasn't the amusing blush that she got from Gohan when she teased him. Goku looked truly uncomfortable. "Oops," she said.

Tien shook his head, "Goku, she didn't mean anything by it," he tried to explain. "She was just being stupid. Weren't you?" he said, looking at her.

Her eyes went wide, an apologetic expression on her face. "I really was just joking," she said. "Please don't leave. Your clothes are still wet. I won't do that to you again."

He was torn, he didn't know what to do. The hot meal was so tempting, more than tempting since he had a feeling Chichi would have had dinner already. She always seemed to forget he was out training and just ate earlier than usual, so it was usually cold leftovers or nothing at all. On the other hand, he didn't know what to make of this. But she had just been playing; he had seen her with the other kiddos playing around like that. He blinked at her, before he managed a small smile. "Heh. Sorry. Guess I just wasn't expecting that." He swallowed and sighed, "Sorry. I ruined the moment."

"Nah," Tien said, moving to fix some coffee for everyone. "She's too big of a flirt."

Sabriena mock-scowled at him and slapped his ass.

Tien jumped and laughed, shaking his head.

Sabriena went over to Goku, looking up at him. "I'm sorry. It was my fault I took it too far. I just that I always tease the other guys and it's not a big deal, but... Well, after the way Chichi reacted with that whole mistletoe thing at Christmas, I should've known better." She chewed her lip for a second, "Are we okay?"

Goku smiled down at her, finally relaxing again and ruffled her hair, "Yeah, we're okay. Just wasn't expecting it. That's good! Keep doing unexpected things, Tien needs to be kept on his toes." He looked outside at the next clap of thunder before he looked to Sabriena. "So, not afraid anymore, right?"

"Well... better at least," she smiled. "Thanks. I don't feel like hiding under the bed anymore. You guys are the best." She thought about hugging Goku, but instead just gave his shoulder a playful shove as she went and kissed Tien.

"I knew you could do it," he smiled down at her. "Now quit tormenting Goku."


	36. An Interesting Proposition

Vegeta strolled through Capsule Corp, thinking over his plans for the day. Something wasn't right. He could feel it in the air. Something big was about to happen, but for the life of him, he couldn't figure out what it could be. He paused when he heard the sound of laughter - one voice he recognized as Bulma's mother, the other he couldn't quite place, though it did sound familiar. He followed the sound into the living room, freezing in his tracks at the sight before him.

"Oh, Vegeta dear!" Mrs. Briefs giggled in her high-pitched voice. "I was just having the nicest conversation about you. This young lady says she used to be your friend! Why don't you join us? I'll put on another pot of coffee."

Vegeta could only stammer as Mrs. Briefs got up and went to the kitchen. "The hell are you doing in my house?" he growled at the woman sitting on the couch, smirking at him.

Fasha smirked, standing up and bowing dramatically. "Why, I'm here to honor the last prince of the great Saiyan race, m'lord," she said with almost sarcasm. She gestured to the table laden with cakes and coffee. "Join me for some breakfast, my Prince. I have a proposition for you. We do not have to fight unless you wish it." She sat back down and sipped at the bitter hot liquid, a smirk playing across her lips.

Her threat wasn't lost on him, despite the politeness in her voice. The last thing he wanted to do right now was to fight her - especially in his own house. His mind was racing, wondering if he could somehow overpower her or distract her, blind her long enough to attack and eliminate the threat that was sitting on his couch, sipping coffee. Though his expression remained stoic, he growled inside. There was nothing at the moment. He had no choice but to sit and listen to her.

Vegeta sat himself at the opposite end of the couch, keeping as much space between them as possible and he curled his tail tightly around his waist. "What's this all about?" he asked gruffly.

Fasha set her cup down on the table, looking the prince over. Compact, powerful, royal blood coursing through his veins. Yes he would be more than adequate. "How horrible it must have been for you. Stranded on this planet, unable to take a proper mate, unable to truly continue the proud Saiyan line, keep the blood pure. My proposal is myself m'lord. Join our cause, our people. We are more powerful than anything this silly little planet can offer up to defend itself. Once we win this war, we can repopulate this planet with true Saiyans. With me, you can produce a royal child of pure Saiyan blood."

Vegeta felt like coiling in on himself, wanting to retreat from her. Dear gods, no. "Why should I join your cause? I know who you're working with, Fasha. Those Atlantians can all go to hell for all I care. I would never join them. They're weak, pitiful, hiding behind their magick because they possess no strength of their own. I'll have no part of it," he answered coldly. He wrinkled his nose in a sneer at her. "I have no interest in fathering your children. If it's so important to you to continue our race, get one of those other third-class warriors you work with to do it."

Fasha snorted, "The Atlantians are but a means to an end. Once we have this world in our clutches they will have run out of their usefulness. And I have no desire for third class children. Surely you want to further our race when we are so few. Rekindle the proud line of Vegeta. You cannot honestly tell me you are happy with these half-breeds. Humans are so weak. They break with the slightest touch. Would you not want to mate with someone who can handle all that a Saiyan can truly give?" She stood and walked over to him, looking down, her tail uncurling from her waist and reaching around to caress his cheek.

Vegeta recoiled from her, a cold loathing in his eyes. How dare she touch him like that? "And I have no desire for third-class children either, you low-level excuse for a warrior," he spat. "I have all I need here. My line continues in my children - my sons, who are accomplished warriors, worthy of the royal blood that runs through their veins." He smirked at the expression on her face. "And I already have a mate," he said, his voice dropping dangerously low as he tilted his head to the side, proudly showing off his mating mark. "And she's perfectly capable of handling all that this Saiyan gives her."

Fasha's expression fell cold at his words and an evil smirk grew on her face. "Surely you jest, m'lord. I can easily take care of her. She is nothing to me. She is a weak human." She snorted, "No matter. I don't need your permission to get what I want." She blatantly looked down at his groin, letting out a pleased hum. "Anyone can see how well-endowed you are. It would be a simple matter to enchant you, make you want me, but it would be of a greater pleasure to me if you wanted it as well."

"Vegeta!" Bulma called out from the hallway, "Have you been using my tablet to play Angry Birds again?" She rounded the corner and entered the living room, "I can't find..." She stopped short when she saw the strange woman there, her eyes going wide and she took a step back as the other woman saw her, a snarl on her lips.

Fasha growled and quickly caught the other woman, catching her hands and twisting her arms behind her back. "This is your mate, my Prince?"

If Vegeta had never experienced true fear before, he felt it now. He was on his feet in an instant, but Fasha was holding Bulma almost as if using her as a shield. Vegeta felt the animalistic growl rumbling deep in his chest as he scowled at her, baring his teeth. "Let her go," he demanded in a dangerous tone. His mind was working furiously. If he attacked, Fasha could kill Bulma before he even made it across the room to her. At the same time, he couldn't give in to her demands. The idea of being with Fasha like that was nothing short of repulsive. "I swear to you, Fasha, you harm one hair on her head and I will rip you to shreds with my teeth and laugh while I do it," he threatened.

Fasha laughed, moving to hold Bulma's wrists in one hand and reached around to stroke Bulma's cheek. "Seems we have a bit of a predicament here, my Prince," she purred and nuzzled at Bulma's neck. "Tell you what; you promise me to give me what I want and I promise you I won't hurt a hair on her pretty little head."

Bulma's eyes went wide and she tried to jerk away from the woman, a tendril of fear racing down her spine and she looked at Vegeta pleadingly to help her. What the hell did the woman want from her husband?!

Oh he could have ripped her throat out for touching his mate like that. It disgusted him, the suggestiveness of her voice, the purr in it. He locked eyes with Bulma, silently trying to tell her to remain calm, that he would get her out of this. He was just about to agree to Fasha's demands in order to save Bulma when he felt them - two energies moving swiftly through Capsule Corp, heading straight for them. He needed to buy some time.

"Now, listen," he said slowly, his mind screaming at them to hurry up. "Threatening my mate doesn't exactly put me in the mood to give you what you want." He could see them now, prowling silently up the hallway behind Fasha. "Let go of her and we'll talk about this."

But Fasha didn't have a chance to answer because the next second, a vine cracked like a whip and wrapped tightly around her throat, Catie snarling, "Let my mother go."

Fasha let out a strangled cry as her neck was suddenly yanked back and the shock made her lose her grip on Bulma, who took advantage of the distraction and broke free, running to Vegeta. She whirled around to look at her attacker, her heart pounding in her chest as she scrubbed at her cheek where the woman touched her. Gods she felt so unclean.

Fasha growled at the loss of her bargaining chip and clawed at the vines around her neck. She scowled at Vegeta. "No deal huh? Don't think that this is over. I always get what I want. You can't protect her, you'll let your guard down." She smirked, "I've seen firsthand what happens to a Saiyan when their mate dies. It's quite excruciating. I wonder if you can still get it up after she's dead!" she spat and snapped her fingers together, disappearing in a puff of purple smoke.

Vegeta tried to hide the fact that he was shaking, his arms held back from his sides protectively as Bulma stood behind him. He looked around the room, growling. "Where the fuck did she go?" But Fasha's energy was long gone. He heaved a shaking sigh and turned to Bulma, pulling her to him, wrapping his arms around her tightly as he crushed her to his chest. He kissed her temple, squeezing his eyes shut for a moment, trying to stop his heart from hammering against his ribs so hard. Oh, he would gladly kill that bitch.

Catie cast a sideways glance at Trunks, her hair still green from her transformation, prepared for that Saiyan bitch to pop back in at any moment. "What the hell is going on?" she demanded. "That was that Saiyan from Leelee's vision! How the hell did she get in here?" She looked over at Bulma, worry in her eyes, "Bulma, are you hurt?"

Bulma was shaking in Vegeta's arms. Her life had been flashing before her eyes and she shook her head, pausing to look over at Catie. "Do you always call your mom by her first name?" she asked with a trembling voice before reaching out for her children to come to her, embracing them and kissing their cheeks. "If you both hadn't come along when you did…" She shook her head again and turned back to Vegeta, holding him tightly. "What... what did she want?"

"Sorry, Mom," Catie muttered, letting her hair turn back to its natural dark brown. She still wasn't quite used to calling Bulma her mother, but she'd felt compelled to ever since she'd taken the Saiyan brand.

Trunks stepped back after a moment, his blue eyes flashing darkly. "I want to know what that bitch was doing here," he snarled. "I swear to God, I'll slaughter that bitch when we face her on the battlefield. NO ONE threatens my mother like that."

Vegeta licked his teeth, not wanting to tell his children what that bitch had proposed to him. "She wanted me to join her and the Atlantians," he answered. It was the truth, just not the whole of it. He stood a little straighter, a commanding look coming over his face. "Trunks, Catherine, I want you to check the house. I don't know how long she was here. Make sure nothing seems off or out-of-place to you."

They both nodded at his words and headed off.

"Come here," Vegeta said softly to Bulma, going to the couch and pulling her gently into his lap. He tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear, his eyes studying her. "Are you alright?"

Bulma nodded, curling in on herself, wrapping her arms around his neck, shuddering at the feeling of that woman on her. She rubbed her cheek against Vegeta's. She felt sick on the inside, she wasn't stupid. After considering Fasha's words for a few moments, she figured out what the Saiyan really wanted. "If she touches you in that way, I'll cut off her arms and legs and shove them in places that the sun don't shine," she said fiercely before resting her lips on the mating mark on his neck. She shuddered. "How did she even get in here?" The answer occurred to her before the last word left her lips, "I'm going to kill my mother. Not that that bitch was going to take no for an answer though. Oh Vegeta, what if she comes back?"

He shook his head, cradling her to him, moving to cover her mark with his mouth, trying to soothe her. He rubbed her back, drinking in the secure feeling of her in his arms. He wasn't letting her out of his sight again. Not until this was all over. He was frightened. There was no doubt in his mind that Fasha would make good on her threats at the earliest opportunity. The war suddenly seemed even more dangerous to him than it had before. "You let me worry about that," he said softly in her ear. He rubbed her back, shifting her a bit to look at her. "Come on, let's get you a shower," he suggested.

* * *

Vegeta awoke the next morning, his head feeling heavy and foggy, almost as if he'd had far too much to drink the night before. But that didn't make sense. He hadn't been drinking at all. Still, he felt incredibly well rested. He stretched in bed, the sheets cool and comforting against his naked skin. Something was off, something wasn't right. He'd had on clothes when he went to bed, yet now he was naked. He could hear the shower running and could smell Bulma's bodywash, the door to the bathroom slightly open. He smirked, thinking maybe she'd managed to strip him before she went to the shower as an invitation for him to join her. He stretched again and groaned, rolling over, and jumped when he found himself face-to-face with Fasha. "What the hell?!" he roared, scrambling backwards from her naked form.

Fasha grinned, moving to trail a hand along her body, tweaking one of her nipples. Her tail flipped back and forth, the look on her face as if the cat got the canary. "Mmm. My Prince, you were wonderful last night." She flipped the covers off of him with a flick of her wrist, looking at his naked form, her eyes coming to rest on his crotch. "You certainly did not disappoint." She giggled and reached her tail out, teasingly touching his thigh. "I will bear a son in your name, I am sure of it. I do thank you for your seed, m'lord."

Vegeta backpedaled off the bed, grabbing the sheets to cover his nakedness. He felt sick, he felt like crying, he felt dirty. "You... you... disgusting, loathsome cunt!" he bellowed, his face going hot. "The hell did you do to me?!" He was seeing red, his vision blurry as his eyes burned. "I don't know what you're trying to accomplish, but it won't work. I would never willingly betray my mate! Are you proud of yourself? The only way you can get a man is by bewitching him? You're pathetic." He wanted to attack her, he wanted to KILL her. Oh, he felt like getting into the shower and absolutely scrubbing his skin right off. He could feel the bile rising in his throat as he looked at her. There wasn't a single thing about her that he found attractive. How could this have happened?

Fasha laughed, moving off the bed to stand over him, her hands unashamedly on her hips. "Oh ho ho. The defeated Prince is hurling insults at me. That's no way to speak to the mother of your child. What's the point of having magick if you can't use it?" She wiggled her fingers at him, purple sparks jumping from the tips. "Magick kept your mate asleep while you and I had some fun. You are quiet wild under my spell." She tilted her head as she heard the faucet turn off and Bulma calling out, asking Vegeta what he said. She scowled, "That bitch..." She snorted and looked down at Vegeta. "But since you fulfilled your end of the bargain, I won't harm a hair on her head." She puckered up and blew him a kiss. "See you around," she purred before she vanished.

Bulma opening the door to the bathroom, using a towel to rub at her hair, "What did you say Ve..." She froze when she saw him naked on the ground, looking horrified. "What happened?"

Vegeta was frozen to the spot, Fasha's words swirling through his head. He felt sick. He pushed himself to sit on his knees, grabbing his head, fisting his hands into his own hair. No. No, no, no, no, no! He could scream. His shoulders shook with his ragged breathing, trying to calm himself. He couldn't do it. "She did it," he managed to choke out. He looked up at Bulma, his beautiful mate, the woman he would lay down his life to protect. She was his everything. His reason for staying on this planet, for fighting to protect it over and over and over again. His eyes were pleading for her understanding, her forgiveness. "Fasha was here," he said, his voice raspy and quiet; he could hear the disbelief in his own words. "She cast some sort of spell over you and me. She said it kept you asleep while she... she... had her way with me." He cringed, not knowing what to expect from Bulma.

Bulma felt her face growing hot, angry tears prickling in her eyes. "She did what?! That's not... It's not possible!" She thought back over the night, everything she could remember. She and Vegeta had gone to sleep in each other's arms last night and they had woken the same way. She felt sick just imagining that disgusting woman using Vegeta like that. She looked at Vegeta, seeing the way he recoiled from her and she fell to her knees, crawling to him, taking his face into her hands. "No. No, you listen to me. It wasn't your fault. I'm not mad at you. I am beyond furious with her." She pulled away her hands, clenching so hard, her nails broke the skin and blood trickled from her palms. "How dare she?! How dare she come into my home and claim such an act took place!" She punched the floor. "You, don't you dare blame yourself for this. If I ever see her again, I am wringing her neck for touching you. For even daring to look at you." She reached out, covering the mark on his neck.

Vegeta felt relief at her words, the feel of her hand over his mark. "Bulma," he said thickly, "I would never betray you. You know that, right?" He heaved a sigh at her nod and squeezed his eyes shut, wanting to scream his rage at the situation. He couldn't remember a time when he'd ever felt so humiliated, so manipulated, so used. And that was saying a lot, considering his past. "She said she's certain she will bear a son... my... my son..." Oh, he could feel the bile rising in the back of his throat again. How was he supposed to face her in battle now? He was the prince of his people, a people who were so few in number as it was. Taking Fasha's life was one thing, but killing an unborn child just didn't set well with him. Especially a Saiyan child. "What do I do?" he whispered helplessly.

Bulma sent a curse after that woman, how she had struck her husband, her mate. She stood up and tugged on Vegeta's hand. "Get up," she said, pulling him into the bathroom with her, throwing her towel aside and stepped into the shower, turning it back on when he was in it. She picked up the bodywash and her scrub, lathering it in her hands until white foam was everywhere. She washed him and spoke, "You do what you have been training to do. If she comes to that battle pregnant, then she has no respect for the life she's just created. If she even is pregnant. She could have just done all this to make you this upset so she can gain the upper hand in battle." She rubbed hard at his chest, moving down to wash his legs. She stood up and squeezed more into her hands, lathering it up before she reached down and grasped his flaccid length, scrubbing as gently as she could. Her eyes blurry as she thought of that woman touching him, touching him here. Had she touched his mark? It made her sick

Vegeta nearly sobbed at his wife caring for him like this. He suddenly appreciated her in an entirely new way. He was so incredibly lucky to have her as a mate. No one could ever compare to her, could ever compete with her. He stood still, letting her wash him from head to toe. He still felt dirty. He turned and leaned his forehead against the shower wall as she carefully worked the shampoo into the fur of his tail. He didn't know what to think. He was going to have to figure this out before they entered battle with the Atlantians.

"Bulma," he said, still keeping his head pressed against the cold tile. "I don't want anyone else to know about this. Especially not our children. I don't want them to worry; I don't want them distracted in battle. I cannot let them see me as some weak fool who fell under the spell of that bitch. This is important to me. I need you to promise you won't say anything to anyone."

Bulma nodded. "I promise," she said, "And stop it. You are far from a weak fool." She grit her teeth, careful not to clench her hands tight while she was washing his tail. "That bitch," she said in an angry whisper, "making you doubt yourself. Sometimes I hate all this magick crap." She growled as she let her fingers slide through the soap slicked fur of his tail, massaging from the base to the tip, making sure to wash out the suds before she picked up the scrub again and worked on his back. She reached his hair and she grabbed the shampoo. "Vegeta, I know you. I know how loyal you are to me and that you would never do this of your own free will." The word rape flashed through her mind and it made her sick to think that someone had raped her husband. "You didn't. There is no way."

"Perhaps it didn't work," he muttered to himself, daring to hope. Surely one time wouldn't be enough to ensure a pregnancy, right? He mentally slapped himself. It only takes one time for it to happen. "She probably used some spell to make sure she did conceive. She disgusts me," he growled, clenching his fists at his sides. He needed to train, he needed to kill something. He wanted to kill Fasha. He reached out with his mind, searching for her energy, thinking of taking her by surprise and slaughtering her in the most gruesome and ruthless ways possible, but he couldn't sense her. Now that he was thinking about it, he couldn't sense any of their energies. Either they'd learned to suppress them or they were too far away to be felt. He tried to relax under Bulma's touch as she washed his hair, but he just couldn't. He was too tense, too angry. But he appreciated her efforts. "I'm lucky to have you," he said softly to her.

She nodded, grasping the shower head and using it to wash his hair free of the suds. "I'm so mad right now, I could spit fire if I tried really hard. Rip off her tail in battle so we can hang it over the mantle or burn it. I'm good either way," she said firmly as she finished washing him and turned him around, cupping his face in her hands. "You promise me something. Do not let this get to you. Do not let this hurt you in the battle. I do not want you to die because you were too distracted by this in the war." She growled, "If you die, I swear I'll go up there and kick your ass myself." She pulled him to her, wrapping her arms around him under the spray of the shower. She pulled back to kiss him fiercely, sliding her fingers into his slick strands of hair before she pulled back, resting her forehead against his. "Go train. I'm going to go...aggressively cook something."

Vegeta let his eyes fall closed, nodding weakly. He needed time to himself, time to think, to gather his thoughts, to plan how he was going to handle this should he come face to face with her in battle. A small smile pulled at his lips as he placed his hands on her hips, pressing his lips lightly to hers. "Make it something rare and bloody," he murmured. "And make a lot of it." Perhaps ripping his teeth through a deliciously rare steak would satisfy him in some small way.


	37. Take a Hint

Tora frowned as he watched Fasha walking through their camp. She sunlight danced on her skin, making her glow in a way he'd never noticed before. She was up to something. She'd been rather quiet ever since she had visited prince Vegeta. But for the life of him, Tora couldn't figure out what was different about her. She hadn't been successful in persuading Vegeta to join them. Tora wondered if he would have any better luck with Kakarot.

He finally managed to get it out of Fasha that Vegeta was in West City in Japan. Why had no one told him this? He'd been trying to figure out where Kakarot might be, but now that he knew where Vegeta was, it only seemed to make sense that the other Saiyan would be nearby.

Tora landed in the yard in front of the little house, surprised at how easy it was to find Kakarot once he was in Japan. His energy was so similar to Bardock's it was unreal. He could smell the food cooking inside and it made his stomach growl. It had been forever since he'd had a decent meal. The Atlantians didn't know how to prepare a decent meal as far as he was concerned. He knocked on the door, steeling his nerve. He didn't know what to expect, but he had been warned by Hybris that Goku (as they called him) was supposed to be extremely powerful. He hoped to avoid a confrontation, but he was prepared for it if it came to that.

Chichi frowned at the knock on the door, unhappy that anyone would interrupt their lunch. She sighed as Goku and Goten continued to shovel food into their mouths and she got up to answer the door. She gasped at the tall man standing there in light blue and black Saiyan armor, a tail wrapped around his waist. "Who are you?" she demanded.

"I'm here to see Kakarot," he answered simply. "I know he's here."

Chichi backed up, the blood draining from her face. She'd seen this Saiyan in the vision Leelee had shared. "G-GOKU!" she cried, backing up even further.

Goku swallowed his last bit of food, jumping up and rushing to Chichi's side in a second. Upon seeing the Saiyan in front of him, he moved, putting himself between Chichi and Goten, who was peering around his dad. "Chichi," he said in a deadly serious voice, "take Goten and back up." Horrible memories of his brother stealing his son away from him still hurt painfully. He swore it would never happen again. "You. If you have some sense of honor, you'll back up and leave my wife and child out of this. If you lay even one finger on them, you'll regret it."

Chichi grabbed Goten and backed him up, her eyes fearfully locked on the Saiyan. Damn her husband's ties to these people who threatened her home, her life.

Tora felt his heart stop as he laid eyes on Goku for the first time. He was the spitting image of Bardock. "I have no interest in them," he said, deciding to take a step back to show he meant not to fight. "I'm here to talk, nothing more." His eyes flickered to the boy cowering behind the woman's leg. Good gods, Bardock had strong genes. Did everyone in his family look like him? Tora shook his head. "Step outside with me, Kakarot," he said, taking a couple more steps back.

Goku could have cursed his luck; every single time he managed to be there when Chichi wanted him, something had to interrupt him. He didn't let his eyes tear away from the Saiyan in front of him, he remember him from the vision, the way he had thrust his arm through that woman's chest as if she was just nothing, crushing her heart in his hand and leaving not a trace of the damage. He cursed himself, he would have to ask Jenny to come bless the house. That is, if he made it out of this. He followed after him, shutting the door behind him. "What do you want?"

Tora's eyes swept over the younger Saiyan; it was like being in the presence of his comrade again. He knew he had to choose his words carefully. Kakarot was already putting a guard up, his hackles raised so to speak. Tora kept his face expressionless, crossing his arms over his chest. "They told me you're the strongest warrior on this planet," he began. "They say the other warriors here follow your lead. Hmph. I should've known as much. Leadership's in your blood after all." Tora blinked his eyes, mentally smacking himself. This wasn't the time to be nostalgic. Bardock was dead. He gave his head a shake, his eyes squeezed shut before he leveled his gaze on Goku again. "You can drop your guard. I'm not here for a fight."

Goku snorted, but relaxed a fraction. "Seems like every time I hear that, someone tries to pull something over my head." He looked the other Saiyan up and down, but he didn't recognize him, save from the vision Leelee had. He had been the only one who had seem hesitant to join in with his crew. "Vegeta told me you were part of my father's crew. You know more about him than I do. But Vegeta didn't have very many nice things to say about you. How well did you know my father? And what do you want here?"

"So Vegeta is here then," Tora said softly. He hadn't been sure whether or not to believe the Atlantians on that one or Fasha for that matter. She was acting so strangely. He'd thought for sure Frieza would've killed their prince along with the rest of their race.

Tora drew a long breath through his nose and looked at Goku again. "I knew your father better than most. He was my commanding officer and my best friend. That's why I came to you. I... I can't... You're Bardock's son. I have no desire to face you in battle. Join us, Kakarot. I beg of you - don't make me face you on the battlefield."

Goku felt his heart wrench at the other's words. The way he spoke... He wanted to ask a million questions about his past, his father. "I can't do that. The people you are working for are going to destroy everything here, everything that I now hold dear to my heart. I can't let that happen and I can't be part of it." He frowned, knowing his next words would have Vegeta saying he was too soft, but it was who he was. "Why don't you join us? You don't seem like your heart is in it for their cause. What's in it for you? Money? Glory? You don't need that. Help us and we can help you."

Tora shook his head. "I can't betray my crew. When Bardock left, they looked to me to lead them until he returned. But he never came back. We were left on that god-forsaken planet, our mission completed, and nothing to do but wait. The orders never came and our ships didn't have the energy to make it back. We were stranded. If it wasn't for Kadar, we'd still be stuck there." Tora shook his head again, looking away from Goku. It was so tempting to take him up on his offer. But how could he abandon his fellow Saiyans?

Goku frowned, "I'm sorry to hear that. The offer still stands. I would say that the others were welcome, but they seem a bit thirsty for battle and don't care who gets in their way." He hesitated a moment before asking, "Would you tell me about my father? I know we are on the brink of war, but I've always wondered how he died, who he was. I forgot everything when I landed here." He frowned at that, wondering the kind of person he would be that day if he hadn't hit his head so hard when he was young. Chichi always was telling him he was brain damaged.

"The others wouldn't hear of it even if you did offer," he said. "Bloodthirsty doesn't even touch the tip of the iceberg. They spent too long on that planet with nothing to do, Kakarot. No enemies to face, no battles to be won, just... nothing." He sighed and shifted his weight to one leg, looking at the ground for a moment. He'd just got done telling himself he didn't want to get nostalgic about this, and now here Goku was asking about Bardock. Tora sighed. "Your father was a good man. A good soldier. He led us in many battles and we always came back victorious. Even the missions Frieza's elite soldiers didn't want, we took on readily and carried out without a loss to our side. But... something happened on the last mission we completed together. We thought we'd taken out everyone on the planet, but there was one left. He said he was granting Bardock the gift of foresight. Bardock wasn't right after that. I could tell. We were on our way to the next mission when he radioed me, said he had to go back to planet Vegeta. He swore Frieza was planning something; that our home was in trouble. He said he was going to stop him." Tora squeezed his eyes shut, the guilt making bile rise up in his throat. "I should have gone with him," he said softly. "As best I know, Bardock died trying to stop Frieza when he destroyed our home planet. I heard him through the scouter, confronting Frieza and the next thing I knew, the line went dead."

Goku felt tears prickling at his eyes for a man he hardly knew. Protecting his home planet... He pressed his lips thin and thought it over a moment, before looking back up at him. "We haven't been introduced. On this planet, I am called Goku. And this planet is my home. I have to protect it at all costs. We have a new home here. Family. I can't betray them. Stay. Fight with us. Help me defend this world and maybe you can call it home one day."

Tora nodded. "They told me that's what you call yourself now. I just remembered Bardock telling me your name was Kakarot... I am Tora." He shook his head, "No place will ever be home again." He fixed his eyes on Goku again, a small smile pulling at his lips. "Just like Bardock. He gave everything to protect our home, too." He sighed disappointedly. "So you can't betray your family, but I can't betray my crew." He shook his head again. "Maybe I shouldn't have come here..."

Goku shook his head. "No, if this is what you came to offer me, I'm glad you came. I just wish we weren't on different sides. You can still call me Karkarot. If that's what my father told you, it's what you should use. Vegeta calls me that anyway." He frowned sadly, something in him deciding he didn't want to meet this one on the battlefield. "You killed innocent people, but I don't want to meet you on the battlefield either. It's never too late for a fresh start. To mend everything, make it right."

"We're Saiyans," Tora replied simply. "That's what we do. Follow orders. Destroy everything in our path for whomever we serve." He practically snorted as he said it. He frowned and looked at the ground, scuffing the toe of his boot in the dirt. He hadn't expected this at all. Goku was making him question everything. His tail unfurled from around his waist and flicked irritatedly behind him. "It looks like neither of us has a choice in this," Tora snorted. "Typical." He couldn't betray his crew, but at the same time he felt like he was betraying Bardock if he faced his son in battle. He swallowed roughly, meeting Goku's eyes. "Kakarot, I don't know what to do," he said, his voice quiet and strained. "I can't betray my crew. I can't. But I can't go into battle against my best friend's son, either. Please... PLEASE join us."

Goku could understand that, thinking of his best friend. Well, Tien didn't have any children, but if Sabriena suddenly turned against him, he wouldn't want to fight her either. He frowned sadly at the other Saiyan. "I respect that you have loyalty to your crew. It's a good trait, but I can't join you. I can't leave this world, it's my home. My family lives here, my children and grandson. I can't." He walked forward and placed a hand on the other man's shoulder, looking up at him. "But stay alive through this war. Don't die. And I hope we don't face each other on the battlefield."

Tora gave a nod. "You too, Kakarot," he said heavily. He felt he had to do something, to give him a hint or... he didn't know what. He couldn't let the Atlantians blindside this man and his family, though. He gave a shiver in the cool spring wind. "Heh. Don't know how you can stand this cold weather," he commented before he met Goku's eyes with an intense stare. "Most Saiyans can't stand the cold weather. At least the Atlantians relocated somewhere warmer to make my crew more comfortable."

Goku shivered as he said it; it was an odd, out of place statement. And for once, if just once in his life, he thought to ask. "It is cold. Where abouts would be a warmer place to be comfortable in?" Tora was trying to give him a clue, he was certain of it.

Tora couldn't tell him outright. It felt too much like betraying his crew, but surely just dropping a few hints would even the odds. That's all he wanted now, was to at least make it fair. "Oh, somewhere south, I imagine. Pain in the ass, though, nearly half-way around the world. Pretty open there... not much... but all sorts of strange animals I've never seen before." He let a small smile curl his lip. "The big cats are interesting, to say the least."

Goku chuckled at that, deciding he would have to go and tell one of the girls what he said, his daughter might be able to help him figure it out. "Sounds like a good place to go hunting." He sighed, "Thank you. It was good to meet you. Are you sure you won't stay a moment? We were just having lunch."

Tora's stomach rumbled and he nearly accepted, but something told him he should be getting back. "No, I shouldn't," he said regretfully. "I don't think your mate was too impressed with me just showing up like I did. Give her my apologies. And your boy, too." He stood and stared at Goku for just another minute. "It's like looking at Bardock again," he said, wrapping his tail around his waist. "I swear, you look exactly like him." He grasped the younger man's shoulder for just a minute. "Take care of yourself, Kakarot," he said before he took a step back and spun on the spot, vanishing from sight with a loud crack.

Goku knew he couldn't just sit on this. He had to figure it out. He cracked open the front door and called inside, "Chichi! I'll be back later! Gotta go!" He pressed his fingers to his forehead and vanished before she had a chance to say a word.

* * *

Goku appeared in the backyard of Capsule Corp after leaving Gohan's house and was surprised to see Piccolo watching Alice playing with little Trunks. He frowned and looked around, "Hey, I've just had a visit from one of the Saiyans. Where's Vegeta? I need to tell him what I've been told. I think I know where the Atlantians are." He was almost certain of it, after discussing it with Lindsey and Gohan.

Piccolo sat up straighter, the surprise evident on his face at Goku's blunt announcement. "Wh-what?" he stammered. He blinked at the Saiyan for a moment before he turned his attention to little Trunks. "Trunks! Go get your father," he barked. "And get Jenny while you're at it."

Trunks scurried off and Piccolo got to his feet, looking Goku over. He appeared unhurt - at least it would seem the Saiyan who had visited him had been wise enough to not try to attack him.

Vegeta and Jenny appeared in the yard a short time later, both of them sweaty from training. "What's going on, Kakarot?" Vegeta asked, wiping at his face with the towel he had draped around his neck.

Goku's expression was serious, his memory clear from the visitation as his mind for battle and fighting kicked in. "I was visited just now by one of the Saiyans who's working with the Atlantians. Said his name was Tora and wanted me to join their cause because he said he didn't want to fight me. When I didn't, he hinted where they're camped out. Gohan and Lindsey seem to think it's somewhere in the southern part of Africa, in the plains."

Jenny snorted, "That tells us a lot. Africa is a huge place. I think you can fit like five Americas in there."

Vegeta narrowed his eyes, remembering Tora. That didn't seem like him to betray his crew. Vegeta didn't know him well, but he knew him well enough to know he wasn't a traitor.

"It could be a trap," Piccolo said, voicing the exact thing Vegeta was thinking.

Vegeta nodded his agreement with the Namek. "It doesn't matter, though," he said. "We have an advantage here and we're going to use it, trap or not." He fixed his eyes on Goku. "Could you use your instant transmission to go to Tora?" he asked. These Atlantians were really desperate to get more Saiyans on their side if they'd propositioned Goku. At least Goku wasn't taken advantage of the way Vegeta had been. It had been nearly three weeks since Fasha had propositioned him and the memory still made his skin crawl.

Goku frowned, but he nodded. He knew he was often too trusting of people. "It could be, but I don't think so. The way this guy was looking at me. It was like he was seeing a ghost. I don't think he lied to me, especially with the way he talked about my father. I don't think he would knowingly send me into a trap. There was just something about him."

"He knew your father well," Vegeta said. "Could be he can't stand the thought of facing you. It would make sense why he came to speak to you."

Piccolo raised a brow at Vegeta; he could practically see the wheels spinning in his head. "What are you planning?"

"An ambush," Vegeta said, a smirk pulling at his lips. "The full moon is three nights from now. If we attack the next morning, they're bound to be exhausted and weak. If we catch them off guard, we could end this thing."

Goku was nearly weak at the knees, hearing Vegeta speak of the end of the war. Gods, that would be amazing to have the war over and done with, to be able to be with his family once again. Well, more time with them instead of every day running out to train. This is what they'd been working for, what he had invested so much time in. Even though he was eager for it to be over, he couldn't deny the excitement in his chest at the thought of testing his strength against them. Damn these Saiyan genes.

Jenny nodded. "The armor is ready to go. I'm putting the final touches on it today." She looked at Goku. "I can send yours home with you if you want. And we will have to let the others know to come and get it."

"Good girl, Jennifer," Vegeta nodded. "I'll have Bulma figure out the time zones. We want to make sure the sun is up before we attack. We cannot take them on in their Oozaru forms." He could feel an excitement burning in his system, the promise of another fight. Despite everything else, he couldn't stop the excitement. This is what he lived for, what gave his life purpose. "Jennifer, I want you to call your friends. Let them know our plan. We will all meet here that morning and then Kakarot will take us there. I want everyone ready to go. Kakarot, let Tien know about our plans. He's the only one we can't get a hold of by phone."

Goku nodded. "I can take his and Sabriena's armor while I'm at it," he offered. He gave a long sigh, trying to calm his nerves. This was it. In just a few days, they were going to war.


	38. Tien's Prayer

Goku arrived at Tien's a few minutes after Vegeta told Jenny to get him his armor. He held it under his arms and he felt... he felt the protection it provided, the safe feeling. It was the same feeling he felt when he came here to the cabin. Jenny's protective magick was strong. He looked to Tien chopping wood, he guessed Sabriena was inside cooking dinner. He set his armor on the ground and called out, "Tien, we need to talk."

Tien drove the head of his axe into the stump and stood up straighter, wiping his brow with the back of his wrist. It wasn't like Goku to use that sort of tone, to start a conversation off like that. He walked over, staring at his friend as if trying to read him. "What's going on?" he asked, his own voice just as serious as Goku's. He didn't like the slight frown on Goku's lips, the seriousness in his dark eyes. "Did something happen?"

Goku swung the armor for Tien and Sabriena out from under his arm, offering it to Tien. "One of the Saiyans came to visit me. He told me where they were camping with the Atlantians. Vegeta says we will attack them in three days. The morning after the full moon. He thinks they will be out all night, their energy used up. It will be a good time to attack," he said seriously. He wasn't serious for most things. Battle however. Battle was something he didn't take lightly. Especially when it threatened his family and friends. He wasn't going to lose anyone this time.

He thought back over the last battle against the Atlantians. So many of his friends had come too close to death that night. Jenny giving birth on the battlefield, Trunks nearly crushed to death by a dragon, Piccolo bitten by another, and Leelee tied to a stake, burning alive…

Goku gave a violent shudder. No. Not this time. This time, they were going to initiate battle and take their enemies by surprise. It was different than anything Goku had done before – he couldn't remember ever being the first to attack. But this had been going on for far too long. It was time to end this.

Tien accepted the armor, blinking at Goku. "Three days? We're... we're attacking them?" He turned from Goku, running a hand over his head, his eyes wide at the information. He'd been wanting to get this over with, to be done with the nervousness he felt from the threat of this war, but now it was as if it was coming far too soon.

Sabriena had stepped out of the house just in time to hear what Goku said. She licked her lips nervously, her heart starting to hammer against her ribs. She wasn't sure if she was ready, even after all the training she'd done over the past year. It was crazy to think she'd been living and training with Tien for over a year now. "Are," she hesitated, her voice small, "are we ready for this?"

Goku looked over at Sabriena and walked over to her, offering the bulky package that contained her armor. "We are ready for them," he said. He watched Sabriena as she took the armor from him, cradling it in her arms. "You are ready for them. You weren't... before, but being out here, with Tien... You are ready."

Sabriena took the armor with shaking hands, trying to believe Goku. She'd always half-assed her way through the battles before, but this time, she was going to have to meet the enemy head on, to work with the others as a team, to remember her training and use it the way Tien and Goku had taught her. A sudden fear rose up in her, not of death or injury, but of disappointing them.

Tien swallowed harshly, setting his armor on the steps to the cabin and turned towards the river. "I need a minute to myself," he said in a low voice and walked off.

Goku watched as Tien went down to the river, before looking back to Sabriena, "I everything alright?" He walked forward, rubbing her shoulders a moment before he looked back down towards Tien before he looked back at her. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm okay," she answered softly, watching Tien. She drew a deep breath, watching as Tien knelt next to the river. She wrenched her eyes away from him and looked at Goku again. "I just..." she paused and licked her lips nervously. Her voice was barely above a whisper as she spoke again, "I just don't want to disappoint him. Or you. I don't want to mess up in battle and have either one of you ashamed of me."

Goku smiled at her, cupping her cheek and brushing her skin with his thumb, pushing a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "You're ready, Sabriena. You won't disappoint us. I have faith in you and so does Tien." He looked back down towards the river and wrapped his arm around her back and walked slowly down towards the river.

* * *

Tien couldn't explain the fear in his chest as he walked down to the river. He'd been nervous before battle before, that was nothing new and was normal, but this fear was unlike anything he'd ever experienced. It seemed to curl around his heart, his very soul, and steal the breath from his lungs. He suddenly wished he had more time to prepare, that he'd used the time he'd had a little more efficiently. Perhaps he could have trained a little harder, a little longer, pushed himself a little further. What difference could just one more day have made?

Not knowing exactly what he was doing, Tien dropped to his knees beside the river, staring out over the sparkling water. He drew a deep breath, bowing his head, and spoke softly, "This is all a little new to me. And I might just be… talking to myself… but," he paused and sighed, thinking he should have felt foolish, but yet he found he didn't. "I know I've made a lot of mistakes in my past. I have a lot of regrets for things I can't take back… can't undo… I've tried to atone… to make it right the best way I know how." He leaned over, placing his hands on the ground, calming himself for just a minute. The meditation he'd done with Sabriena that day, grounding himself, attuning himself with the earth, echoed through his mind and he found it comforted him. "If you're out there… if you're real… if you can somehow hear me… please help us."

Tien let his eyes close for a moment, pressing his lips together. He could feel Sabriena's fear and her worry. A very strange thing had happened the night they bound their lives together. They discovered they could feel what the other was feeling. If she was happy or sad or nervous, Tien could feel that same emotion. Likewise, Sabriena could feel his emotions as well. But there was an even more interesting aspect to it – they could feel what the other felt physically if the sensation was intense. If he took an exceptionally hard hit from Goku in training, she felt it. If she was feeling sick, Tien wouldn't feel so good either. And when they were in the throes of passion, they always came at the same time, their bliss shared in an entirely new way.

Tien knew that if Sabriena died in this war, he would go with her. Just as if he died, she would perish with him. But he didn't like the fear they were sharing now. Fear for their friends, their family. And there were things out there that were so much worse than death.

Tien's fingers dug into the earth as he prayed, "We've all trained so hard for this. All of us. We can't lose anyone to this. Please. Please help me protect her. Please help me protect them – my friends. Please." He begged. "I don't know if you're out there or if I'm just… thinking wishfully… but please protect us all."

Sabriena smiled softly as she heard the last words of Tien's prayer. She'd never known him to pray before. She gently disentangled herself from Goku and went to Tien, placing a hand on his shoulder. "It's going to be okay," she assured him. "We're all going to come through this war together."

He smiled weakly at her, reaching up to cup her face, forgetting he had mud on his fingers as he soothed his thumb across her cheekbone. "Oops," he snickered. "Looks like you've got war paint on."

She giggled and leaned into his touch, blinking at him as his eyes went wide. "Tien? What is it?" she asked.

"War paint," he breathed, an idea suddenly clicking in his head. "Remember the ashes from Beltane?"

Sabriena nodded.

"Arthusia said they were protective," Tien went on. "I mean, I know it might sound crazy, but what if we made up some war paint and added the ashes to it?"

Goku walked down after Sabriena, hearing the conversation. "War paint?" He saw Sabriena's face as she turned to face him. "Hey, yeah! If it works, it could be that much more of a defense against the Atlantians!" he said excitedly. He paused, tipping his head to the side. "So, ah, how do we test it?"

"Test it on me," Tien volunteered.

"What?" Sabriena gasped. "No! Tien, what if you get hurt?"

"Well I'm not asking you to try to take my head off," he chuckled. "Go grab that jar of ashes off the mantle."

Sabriena stomped away, muttering under her breath, "Mental. He's completely lost his mind."

Tien rinsed his hands in the river and looked up at Goku for a moment, "If this goes bad, just, you know, get me to Jenny or Dende ASAP, alright?" he chuckled.

Goku frowned, "Really? I don't know about this Tien. What if it goes really wrong? Shouldn't we test it on something else?"

Tien shook his head. "We don't have time for all of that. If the ashes seem to work, it'll take me at least the rest of the day to get some paint made up for everyone."

Goku wasn't sure he liked the idea of Tien testing this on himself, but if it worked, he was definitely sharing it with everyone else. He watched as Sabriena came back to the river, carrying the large earthenware jar of ashes and a small bowl with her. She scooped a tiny bit of water into the bowl and mixed in a pinch of the ashes, then smeared it roughly across Tien's face as he pressed his lips together and closed his eyes.

"You better hope this works," Sabriena muttered, rinsing her fingers in the river.

Tien stood, his face feeling weird with the ashes on it. "I'll have to make it into a real paint if this works," he said. He drew a deep breath and squared his shoulders. "Okay, Sabriena, try hitting me with some of your magick, girl," he said. He shook his hands at his sides as if trying to shake off a bit of nervousness.

"Completely asinine," she muttered as she transformed. Conjuring a small orb of magickal light, she lobbed it gently at Tien's face.

He closed his eyes at the last second, bracing himself, but the attack glanced off.

Sabriena's eyes went wide and her jaw fell open. "No way," she breathed.

Tien beamed, feeling excited, and turned to his friend. "Okay, Goku, you try and hit me with an energy wave."

Goku blinked at him before his face split in a wide grin. "It actually worked!" he cried. He formed a ball of energy in his hand and asked, "Are you sure about this?" He frowned at Tien's nod and threw his attack point blank at his face and he jumped back as the energy exploded, the heat from it hot on his skin and he watched as Tien stood, unscathed from his attack.

Tien grinned widely. "Alright, it works," he said, "now we just have to mix up some paint and give it to everyone else. Couldn't hurt to have some extra protection to go with that armor."

Sabriena was still dumbfounded. "Okay," she said, a smile finally pulling at her lips. Let's get busy. Should I run to town and buy some paint?"

Tien shook his head as he crouched by the river and washed his face. "No, anything you guy would most likely be synthetic," he said. "Didn't Jenny have trouble getting the armor to work because she was using synthetic materials?"

"Oh yeah, she did," Goku said thoughtfully. He tapped a finger to his chin, looking upwards. "But gosh, where do we get natural paint?"

"Right here," Tien answered. "I can make it." He stood up and wiped the water from his face before he looked at Sabriena. "What colors should we use, girl?"

Sabriena thought about it for a minute. A memory came to her then, of the day when they'd rescued Paige from the castle. "White, red, and black," she answered. "The colors the Fates were wearing when we met them."

Tien gave a nod. "Not a problem."

* * *

Goku and Sabriena watched Tien in fascination for the rest of the afternoon as he worked, carefully creating the paint as Sabriena requested. Black was easily made from the charred black logs from their fire. Red was created by gathering red berries from the forest. White proved to be a bit more problematic, but they eventually settled on using simple bread flour since it was made from wheat. Using water from the spring and the ashes Grandma Arthusia had given them after Beltane, he carefully mixed the parts together until they had bold, bright colors in smooth, thick paint.

"So, ah, what should we paint on our faces?" Goku asked. "Like a certain design or something?"

"Anything you want, I suppose," Tien answered, carefully measuring the paint out into little stoneware jars for Goku to take to the others.

"You could do a tribal design," Sabriena suggested. "That would look awesome. Look up something online."

Goku nodded and gathered up all the little jars. "What are you guys gonna do?"

"Oh, I've got an idea," Sabriena answered with a sly smile.

"Well tell me!" Goku whined.

"Nope," she grinned. "You'll just have to wait and see."

"Oh fine," he huffed. "You guys take care. I'll see you at Capsule Corp in three days."

"We'll be there," Tien promised and watched as Goku vanished from sight.

Author's Notes: Just thought I'd respond to some of the reviews again!

* * *

"_Wow Fasha is a Slut. Wierd and interesting you potray her as such in this story"_Eh, it's not so much that she's a slut, but that she will use any means to accomplish her goals. My version of Fasha is extremely proud of her Saiyan heritage, almost to the point of being radical. She doesn't agree with mixing the races together and believes that the bloodlines should be kept pure. (Think Deatheaters from Harry Potter.)

"_Also go to the Dragonball Wiki. Go to Character articles. In a interview, it revealed the names of Andriod 18 and 17."_ Hey, thanks! I never knew that. Thanks for the info.

"_Sabrina is right, everybody needs to smack Chi-Chi as hard as they can. Maybe she wouldn't be as cold hearted."_ GreenSaiyan, I like your thinkin'. If someone doesn't agree with you, SMACK 'EM UNTIL THEY DO! LMAO! Love that.

"_Oh so that's why I was wondering what the hell was going on. Lawl" _ Reign of Sorrow, ya okay there, darlin'? You know where you are? Here. Sit down. Have a cookie.


	39. Something Worth Dying For

Jenny couldn't help but grin as her father stood in front of the mirror as she buckled the last strap, moving it to cover the tail as he wrapped it around his waist. "Well, I know it's not the armor you are used to, but it should do the trick."

Vegeta smirked and flexed his muscles, testing the movement of the armor. He was pleased to find that there was no restriction of movement at all. It fit him well and was lightweight, just like he'd instructed. "Well done, Jennifer," he complimented her.

Jenny felt pride swelling in her chest at her father's praise. She blushed. "You were right, of course, the parts that I took out weren't needed."

Vegeta smirked. "Of course I was right." He was so proud of his daughter. She'd worked so incredibly hard on this armor for him and the rest of the fighters. He swore to himself if the others didn't appreciate the armor and wear it proudly, he'd murder them in cold blood.

She grinned over at her father, admiring him for a moment, tears prickling at her eyes at the sight she saw before her, the proud regal warrior, in her armor. She wiped at her face, trying to hide the tears.

He cocked an eyebrow at the tears on her face and reached over, roughly dragging a calloused thumb across her cheek. "Knock it off," he muttered, trying to stop her tears in the best way he knew how.

Jenny reached out, fiddling with a buckle for a moment before she dropped her hands and looked up at him, "now you are ready."

A smirk touched his lips, feeling the magickal energy in his armor. "Damn right, I'm ready," he answered. He eyed the healed brand on her shoulder with satisfaction. She hadn't tried to heal it and had kept the younger Namek from healing it as well, just as he said. He admired himself in the mirror again, looking over the armor. "Thanks to you, now we're all ready."

Jenny smiled, looking at him in the mirror a second before she made up her mind and slipped her arms around him, burying her face into his shoulder, the armor warm from his body heat already. "Be safe out there. Don't die, or I'll kick your ass."

Vegeta wrapped his arms securely around his daughter, holding her for a minute. "Don't you worry about me," he chuckled. "I know how to handle these fools." The truth was, he was terrified at the thought of facing Fasha. After her claims about what they'd done while he was under a spell that he couldn't remember, he didn't know if he could face her in battle. There were so few of his race left. Could he kill the woman who claimed to be carrying his child? He could easily kill her, no qualms about it, but the potential life growing inside her, a Saiyan baby... He shivered and hugged Jenny a little tighter. "Promise me that no matter what happens out there, you won't think less of me, Jennifer," he rumbled in her ear. He didn't know why he was allowing himself to speak such a vulnerable statement, but this was Jenny and she understood him almost as well as his own mate did. He trusted her.

Jenny blinked up at him, feeling safe, safer than she had in a long time in his arms, a father's love, a father's protection. She could see the worry deep in his face, the crease in his brow, " I swear it."

He pulled back from her in pinched her chin between his index finger and his thumb, smiling softly at her. He should've known she'd agree to his request.

"Good," he stated in a matter of fact sort of way. "Now help me get this stuff off, I'm starving." But even as he took the rest of the armor off, he made sure to keep the gloves she'd made for him on. He wore them proudly every day.

Jenny chuckled and helped unbuckle her father, smiling widely as he kept the gloves on. They went well with his leather jeans and red shirt. She set his armor back on his stand and looked at him. "Let's go eat." She wasn't exactly hungry, the war was only a couple days away and she was filled with worry, but she couldn't turn down a meal with him. It could very well possibly be their last chance to enjoy a meal together.

Vegeta wrapped a heavily muscled arm around Jenny's shoulders as they left the lab. He couldn't help the pride he felt surging through his system. She'd made the armor exactly the way he wanted her to, even though it took a couple arguments about leaving part of his chest exposed so that the brand over his heart would show. He wondered what the others would think of it, what Piccolo must've said when he saw the brand on Jenny's arm. Eh, it didn't matter. He was proud of it.

Vegeta looked at Jenny as they walked. "What are the tears for?" he asked roughly. Jenny didn't cry easily, but when she did it always unnerved him.

She bit her lip, knowing what a weakness tears were to a man like Vegeta. She spared him a sideways glance, her heart was full of emotions, the end of the road was in sight now and the war was fast approaching. It seemed like just yesterday that this man, this alien, had claimed her as his own daughter...truly, wholly. She couldn't get the image out of her head. The brand on her shoulder was a testament to that. "Promise you won't think any less of me," she mimicked his own words.

Vegeta nearly rolled his eyes as he shook his head. "You've proven yourself to me more times than I can count, Jennifer. You're a capable fighter, a strong woman, and talented at everything you do. What on earth would make you think I would think less of you?" He stopped walking and turned to face his daughter, looking her dead in the eyes. "You tell me what's wrong and I will fix it." He couldn't fathom what had made her upset, but if someone had caused her grief, he was not going to stand for it.

She shook her head, nearly choking on words she wanted to say, words she thought. There was no doubt in her mind that if there was something wrong, he would move the stars to fix it for her if he could. She shook her head, ignoring the tears that gathered in her eyes once more, that made her face grow hot and her vision blurry. "I just wish... I mean... I was thinking, you are my dad now... officially for only a short time now. I am being selfish, but I don't want this war to go badly. I don't want you to die. I don't want anyone to die."

Vegeta sighed though his nose, his lips pressed to a hard line as he looked at the floor for a moment. He grabbed her face with both hands, his eyes burning with intensity as he stared at her again. "I'm not going to lie to you. I never have before and I don't intend to start. Yes, we may die. Any one of us could die on that battlefield. But we mustn't let our fear and our worry consume us or cloud our judgment. We have trained like animals for years, all leading up to this moment. We're better prepared now than we have ever been before. And a lot of that is thanks to YOU. But if someone perishes in battle, it will not be your fault. And if we die, we die with pride and honor. We are Saiyans. Don't you ever forget that."

She nodded, the pride in his voice echoing in her chest as she drank in those words; they rang true. "I know that, but it's not that. I know I have done all I can to help you and the others prepare. And I trust that you will do what it takes to come out on top and live to tell the tale. It's just a stupid worry. I don't want to lose my dad, my husband... my girls... not when it seems this whole thing just finally got started."

Vegeta smirked. "You're not going to lose them," he said quietly, but firmly. "What makes you think that death would be the end? I suppose it is a rational fear; you haven't died before. We all die eventually. And when we meet again on the other side, whenever that happens, it'll be just like it is now. I have worked too hard to build a new life here on this planet, a new family. I will not give it up easily. And if I must die to protect it, then I do so knowing that it will return to me in the next life." He didn't know if he was saying the right things to comfort her, but he couldn't stand the worry in her voice, the sadness at the thought of losing her family. "I know you have worked hard for the same things I have. Those things will never be taken from us. Never."

She nodded sharply, looking up at him meeting his gaze. His words did help, to know that there was something beyond the grasp of this mortal coil. "I understand," she smiled. She still didn't want to lose him, the first real father she'd ever had. She wanted to do so much more. She wanted to watch her children grow up, knowing their father and grandfather would be there to protect them. She just wanted the war over. Perhaps then they could enjoy a time of peace.

"Good," he nodded and wiped his thumbs over her eyes once more, swiping away the tears. He turned her and put his arm around her shoulders again, leading her outside. "Now, let's eat. Anywhere you want. I'm buying." He felt better, knowing he'd somewhat managed to calm her fears. He just hoped that somehow, now, he could figure out how to calm his own.

* * *

He was still trying to figure it out the evening before the battle. He sat in the living room, staring out the tall windows, the setting sun casting a warm light over the darkened room. He felt Bulma's presence before he saw her and he remained where he was as she walked up behind him, draping her arms around his shoulders, leaning her cheek against his.

Vegeta slowly closed his eyes, drawing a long breath through his nose, drinking in the scent of her perfume. He'd felt her eyes on him these past days, her features creased with concern. He hadn't meant to ignore her, not when there were only few precious days left with her, but his mind was on fire, trying to prepare him for the coming war. The war the Fates foretold. Verdandi told him he would have to work hard to keep the life he'd built for himself. He couldn't bear the thought of losing that life now. Not after he'd already lost one home so long ago. "What do you want, woman?" he asked. His words were harsh, but his tone was soft, concern showing through them.

Bulma pressed up against him, holding him tightly, carefully. "I'm worried about you." She turned her head and pressed a kiss to his cheek, before sighing and looked out the window. "I've never seen you like this, need to talk about it?"

Bulma had noticed her husband growing more and more distant the closer the day of the battle got. She would often catch him just like this, staring off, lost in his thoughts.

Vegeta didn't look at her. He crossed his arms, still staring out at the setting sun. He didn't want to worry her any more than she already was. Talk about it? Talk about what? About his fear of being unable to protect her? About his hatred for Frieza for encouraging Bardock's crew to be so exceptionally ruthless? About his own worry of that ruthlessness awakening in himself again? "No," came his answer. Why was he doing this? Closing himself off from her as if doing so would make it hurt less if he fell in battle. He didn't want her to hurt or to grieve. Not over him.

Bulma sighed and let go of him and sat back down next to him, reaching for his tail that was wrapped around his waist, stroking her fingers gently along the soft fur. She was aching for him, she had missed him, his distance these past few days was killing her. "I've missed you, love." She took in his stoic expression and sighed, "This is going to be bad if you're like this now."

Her words made him ache. He sighed and uncurled his tail, wrapping it around her slender waist. "Sixteen hours," he said softly. He had sixteen hours to make up his mind about how to deal with the Saiyans that threatened his home before they would attack the Atlantian camp. Never did he think he would protect another planet from his own kind. And on top of them being the most cruel of all the Saiyan troops, there were still the rest of Sigourney's old followers to be dealt with. It sent a shock of worry through his system again. "I've known how bad it was going to be from the moment we shared that vision with the girl. You cannot fathom the delight they take in torturing others." It made him sick. He had once done the same - enjoyed the sound of those who were weaker than him as they begged for their life. Or begged for death. And he'd dealt it to them out of pleasure, not mercy. He fought a shiver to think he had once been like that. But, even so, he couldn't compare to their malice. "Perhaps we should think about getting you out of here," he said, still not looking at her. "If we fall in battle, I cannot bear to think of the horrors that would fall upon you. Or Jennifer's children."

Bulma swallowed and brought her wrist, his tail up to her mouth, pressing a kiss to it. "No. I'm not going anywhere." She sighed, and reached up to him, cupping his face and turning him towards her, "You are going to win this war. All the hours of training you've put in, all the hours we've put into the armor. The girls are ready. Everyone is ready and so are you... my Prince."

He leaned into her palm, closing his eyes at her comforting touch. "No matter how prepared we are, things can go wrong. I can't go into battle thinking I may leave you to a fate at their hands." He shivered to think of what the Saiyans might do to her. How many years had they spent on that planet with nothing but each other? The inhabitants wiped out early on, Bardock's crew unable to return to their home planet because there was no longer a planet to return to. There was no telling how that kind of isolation could influence a Saiyan. Without a battle to prepare for, no victims to torment, how many hours, days, months, years had they spent thinking of new ways to torment and humiliate others? "I'm afraid for you, Bulma," he admitted softly, his eyes finally meeting hers.

Her eyes snapped to his dark ones, a twinge of fear sparking through her body, sending a shiver down her spine. "We can't have that. I want you to be ready for battle. You know I can take care of myself. If anything were to happen to you and earth should fall to them, I would not be long behind you, at my own hand if need be. Nothing is going to keep me from you." She sighed, her heart twisting, she didn't want to leave him alone on the eve of the war. "I don't want to leave you. Where could I go?"

"Namek," Vegeta answered. Gods, it killed him to send her away. But should the worst happen, he had to know that she and the girls were safe. "You could take Paige and Alice. Dende could go with you. If we win, you could return to earth. And if we didn't... well... Namek's a nice enough planet, I suppose. You know they wouldn't turn you away." He tried to swallow the lump in his throat, but it just wouldn't seem to move.

Bulma couldn't deny the plan had merit. She could take the girls and Dende; Goku could take them by instant transmission and they'd be set for a little while. She let her eyes go back up to his, "I don't want to lose you. I don't want to leave. It sounds cowardly." She pressed her fingers to her lips, looking outside. "I mean, what does that say about me if I just run away when the big fight gets here?"

"It says you're an intelligent woman who knows when to swallow her pride," he answered. He nearly smirked at the irony of his words. Swallowing his pride was something Vegeta had never learned to do. For a long time in his life, his pride was the only thing he had. And he held onto it like a life preserver. "You leaving is not cowardly. You are not a warrior, Bulma." Damn the knot in his throat. It made his words heavy as he tried to tell her to do the exact opposite of what he wanted. He wanted her beside him every moment for the rest of his life, no matter how long or short that life may be. But her safety and the safety of his grandchildren was far more important than his own selfish wants. He was half tempted to send Jennifer and Catherine with her, but he knew they were needed in battle. Without them, none of the Z Fighters stood a chance against Enye or the others. Enye. She enraged him nearly as much as Fasha. After all they'd done to help that insufferable little imp, saved her life at the cost of their own blood, sweat, and tears, she'd turned on them. Vowed to see their deaths because they had killed her brother, a man who had left her to burn to death in the dragon's fire. They had trusted her and now she was bringing this horror upon them. Vegeta couldn't help but wonder if she'd been planning to betray them all along. He curled his tail tighter around Bulma's waist, the end of it wrapped lovingly around her wrist. "I would never think you a coward."

Bulma tried to take comfort in the way his tail curled around her so, but all she could feel was this desperation that was growing in her chest, the ache at the thought of being separated from him. She could hear it in his voice as well; she didn't like that. She wanted her Vegeta back, the man who was not afraid of anything, who was confident, prideful. "Vegeta, I'm not leaving you. You better come back to me, mister. Or I'll come beating on the door of your afterlife and you can just forget about resting in peace if that happens." Oh gods... she was trying to laugh it off, but as those words left her mouth, she felt herself breaking down, the tears rushing to her face, her cheeks growing hot as she let herself fall forward, her forehead against Vegeta's shoulder.

Vegeta was startled at her tears. It wasn't often that Bulma cried - a fact he respected in her. Too many women on this planet manipulated their men with their tears, but not Bulma. He gathered her in his arms and pulled her into his lap. "I don't like it, either," he said quietly to her. He tucked her head under his chin so she wouldn't see the pained expression on his face. A soft chuckle escaped his lips, "Beating on the door to my afterlife..." A tiny smile pulled at the corner of his mouth. Beautiful, intelligent, determined, strong, and funny, too. He couldn't ask for more. He looked down at the mark on her neck, his hand going to cover it protectively. He would do anything to protect what that mark symbolized. Anything. Even if that meant killing Fasha. He tried not to shudder when he realized the thought of killing her evoked no emotional response. He was slipping into that cold mindset again, the mindset of a warrior whose only thought are of victory, no matter what the cost. He shivered again as the Saiyan creed echoed in his mind, _'There is only victory.'_

Bulma reached up and covered his mark as well, drawing comfort from his warm hand covering hers, thinking perhaps he would like the same. "Gods, I don't want to lose you. I wouldn't be whole again." She could feel him shuddering, out of fear? Out of the weight of what was to come, the gravity of the situation. She couldn't even imagine what he was thinking; to have to go into war again, a real battle. "Vegeta?" she asked softly, mumbling into his chest, feeling his warmth surrounding her, his tail still around her waist and wrist, "Are you afraid? Afraid you won't come back from this?"

Wouldn't be whole again... She couldn't have said it any better. The thought of being separated from his mate made him want to scream with an agony he'd never known before. Her hand closed over the mark on his neck warmed him from the inside out. He drew another long breath through his nose. Gods, he loved her smell. Was he afraid of not coming back from this? Yes. But not in the way she was thinking. He feared that cold, uncaring, hollow feeling that used to consume him. He'd never wanted a wife or a family before, but now he couldn't fathom a life without them. What if he couldn't pull himself out of it this time? What would happen if he just stayed in that callous, empty mind frame? He wanted to tell her no, that he wasn't afraid, that she was silly for thinking that he could be afraid of battle, but his lips betrayed him and whispered a barely audible, "Yes."

Bulma gently rubbed at the mark at his answer. She had thought she had known him, that he didn't fear death. "I'll bring you back. I'll find some way," she vowed determinedly, but not as confident as she wished. What if Vegeta didn't come back? She didn't know if she could end her own life to be with him, that would be cowardly, but to live a life without him? She didn't know if it was possible. She slipped her arm around his waist and lowered her head to his chest, listening to his heart beat, slow... steady. He was preparing himself, getting ready for war in the only way he knew how. She shuddered as she remembered the blood thirsty man he used to be, killing and conquering, that dead look in his eyes, calculating. On Namek, she had seen past those eyes, the tiredness in them, the spark of life with so much potential. What if this war put out that little light? She shook her head, "If you lose yourself, I'll bring you back. You can't get rid of me."

Vegeta closed his eyes and tightened his grip around her. When would he learn to stop underestimating her? "You know me better than I thought," he murmured in her ear. He sighed slowly, holding her to his chest, staring out the window. "I have never feared battle," he said, speaking almost more to himself than to her. "It is all I have known. All I was raised and trained to be is a soldier. My whole life, spent under Frieza's rule, being used, a pawn for his amusement. I didn't fear death because I had nothing to lose." He paused, his muscles flexing as he spoke again, his voice a bit stronger, "Now I do not fear death, because it would mean dying for something worth saving." He looked down at her and gave a small smile, cupping her cheek in his hand. "You see me better than anyone else does, woman. There are two things I fear - losing you and losing myself."

Bulma mimicked his hand, reaching up and cupping his cheek. It made her dizzy to think that she was the only one in the world who would have this. To hear that - his reasoning for not being afraid of battle; it broke her heart. If he lost her, he would become that again. She brushed her thumb over his cheek, looking into those dark eyes and seeing the cosmos. "You come back to me and I'll come back to you. I'll bring you back, no matter what the cost." She let her hand drop back down to the mark on his neck, stroking it lovingly. "Whatever happens... whatever choices you have to make, I trust you Vegeta. Trust me to do what I need to do. Just come back to me, my prince. Just come back. You know I would never judge you. I know you have some choices to make. Hard choices. I accept that. This is a war and you do what you can, just remember that you will always have me to come back to."

He hugged her against his chest again, pride swelling in his chest. She was braver than any of them in her own right. Her dedication to him, her love for him, spoke volumes to the woman she was. No one had ever loved him before and he found it odd how her love warmed his heart. He'd never felt like this before Bulma had come into his life. "I will come back to you," he vowed. "And I will not stop until I see each of them pay for threatening our home. Every. Single. One." His chest rose and fell heavily as he breathed, his determination coiling in his chest. He would not let them win this war. There was far too much at stake. Vegeta swallowed harshly, lowering his face beside hers. His lips brushed her ear as he whispered, "I love you, Bulma."

She moved, straddling his hips, wrapping her arms around him tightly in a crushing hug, burying her face into his shoulder. "I love you more, my prince... Vegeta. I love you so much. Remember that out there; that you have me waiting for you, when it's all over." She pulled back, cupping his face in her hands, moving her fingers up, sliding them into his black strands, massaging his scalp before she leaned forward, her forehead resting against his.

He smirked again, staring deep into her brilliantly blue eyes. "That's all I need," he answered. He crushed her against his chest with one arm. His other hand slid into her hair, his fingers tangling in the silky soft strands, and he captured her lips in a heated kiss. He hadn't meant to be so distant, so cold towards her the past few weeks. But everything was coming to a head, the war just hours away... No, he wouldn't push her away anymore. He was going to enjoy every last moment he possibly could with her. Because if he did lose his life in this war, he wanted to take these memories with him. He kissed her with bruising force, pulling her tighter to him.

Bulma matched his furious pace with her own, feeling the desperation. She couldn't lose him. She wanted him burned so deeply into her that he could never be separate. She felt his tail curling tightly around her waist, once... twice. She wrapped herself around him, her legs tight around his waist, her arms secure around his neck. Kissing and nibbling at his lips, drinking him in.

A groan wrenched itself from Vegeta's throat as she kissed him back with such passion it set him on fire. He felt a tightening in his body, the warmth of hers burning against him. He wanted her right there, seated upon him in the waning sunlight of the living room. He grabbed her wrist and guided her hand down to the hard bulge in his pants. He gasped against their kiss as her hand met his body and he deepened the kiss, silently begging for her touch.

She moaned against him, feeling the hardness beneath her fingers, slipping her tongue deeply into his mouth, sliding hers along his as she grasped him firmly, stroking him a moment before she tugged his pants down to let his length spring free. She grasped that hard length, smoothest silk over a hot iron. She could stay like this forever, seated on his lap. She reached down between her legs parting her underwear under her skirt, pushing it to the side before she moved and gasped as she took all of him into her in one swift movement.

Vegeta's eyes rolled in his head as her tight, wet heat covered him. He grabbed her hips, pulling her down over him as he thrust up into her. His mouth went to her mark, sucking it, dragging his tongue over it. The end of his tail slipped down to tease her between her legs and Vegeta smirked as she threw her head back and hissed at his touch. He loved that he could bring her such pleasure. He watched her face intently as he drove himself inside her, committing every part of her to his memory. The way she felt in his hands, the sound of her voice when she cried out in pleasure, the exact color of her eyes. If he was to meet his end, he was taking every memory of her he could with him.

Bulma cried out as he filled her. He filled her so completely it drove her mad, the way his tail moved around her, the soft fur teasing her. Oh gods, how he could set her nerves on fire. She reached down, moaning as he kept thrusting into her at a strong pace, grasping his tail and squeezing him. She gasped out and clenched around him. "I want all of you inside of me, my Prince... Vegeta... Please... fill me..." She looked at him, kissing his lips, pulling and nibbling at his bottom lip and giving his tail one last squeeze before she brought the tip up to her mouth and wrapped her lips around it, twirling her tongue around the end, slicking him up, nibbling gently. With one hand, she reached behind her, sliding her hand into her skirt and moaned around him as she teased her own flesh.

Vegeta moaned as her hot mouth closed around his tail. Gods, that woman knew what she was doing. He was seeing stars already, his breathing growing heavier. He let his tail slip from her lips and trailed it slowly down her throat, between her breasts, flicking the tip over her nipple. He let it snake its way down her torso and into the back of her skirt, brushing against the crease between her buttocks. "Everywhere?" he asked questioningly, cocking an eyebrow at her.

Bulma let her hands slide up into his hair, crashing their lips together hotly before she moved to the side, nibbling at his hear, whispering, "If you think you can handle it, Prince." She smirked as she felt him shiver. "I want you. I never am going to forget you, so fuck yourself into my memory, my body, my mind, so that every time I move, every ache, scratch, blissful moment I have, you are the only one who rules my thoughts, my desires." She clenched herself around him, grinding harshly against him. "I am the proud wife of a Saiyan Prince. I will gladly take whatever you give me."

"Bulma," he breathed, unable to think of anything else to say in response to her words. He pulled her legs tighter around his waist, teasing the opening to her body with his tail. He kissed at the front of her throat, feeling her frantic pulse beneath his lips. He growled against her skin as she tightened her body over his aching cock. He pressed the end of his tail against her body until it gave in to him and he cried out in sheer bliss as that tight, burning heat covered him. He had to have more... he pressed more of his tail into her, writhing it within her body, feeling it press against his hard length embedded inside her.

Bulma's eyes rolled into the back of her head at the feeling of that tail writhing deeply inside of her, deeper still, pressing up against his cock just on the other side of that thin wall of muscle and tissue between them. "Oh by the gods." She was claimed...fully...deeply... She rocked her hips experimentally, shuddering at the fullness. Vegeta's tail slipped deeper into her still and she felt her core aching; she was leaking around him, her essence making Vegeta's thrusts effortless. "Oh gods, Yesssss. Fuck me... fuck me hard."

Vegeta growled, nipping at her throat, before sliding his hands up her back and curling his fingers over the tops of her shoulders. He slammed her down onto him, snarling at the incredible pleasure. "Mmmmm... you want it, don't you?" he purred in her ear. He slammed her down again with jarring force over and over, loving the feel of her wetness dripping over him. He raked his hands over her body, going to her nipples, pinching and rolling them harshly before he lowered his face to her breast. He squeezed her breasts, flicking the tip of his tongue over the hardened flesh before he bit it, closing his lips over it to suck at the same time.

Bulma's teeth rattled when he slammed her down so hard and she knew she would be feeling it in the morning, but the pain gave away to pleasure and it was what she loved about her mate. He knew exactly what she could take; he could read her like a book. She shrieked with delight as he slammed into her again, sucking furiously at her mating mark and she leaned forward, latching her own mouth around his mark, sucking, nipping and biting frantically. Rocking her hips back and forth, feeling him, memorizing him over and over. The tail...oh gods that wonderful tail...the fur tickled her on the outside, between her ass cheeks, spearing her so deeply. It was intoxicating and she couldn't get enough of it. She breathed in deeply, smelling his scent, remembering it and its spicy aroma, like chili peppers and chocolate, his own musk making it a delicious combination. She was his as much as he was hers. HERS. She bit at the mark, digging her teeth in a little bit, not drawing blood. If that bitch Fasha ever came near him again, she would rip her apart, Saiyan or not.

Vegeta's vision went white and he nearly spent himself at the feel of her teeth on his mark. "Dammit, woman," he growled and slammed her down even harder, making her cry out. A smirk pulled at his lips - she would pay for that. He slid his hand between her legs, massaging the tender, sensitive nub with his fingers. He changed his movements, rocking his hips in a circular motion with his cock buried deep inside her body. His tail wriggled within her, he could feel it against his cock and he smirked as Bulma began to tremble. "Don't come yet," he ordered, rubbing his fingers faster. "Don't you dare come until I tell you to." He grabbed the back of her shoulder again with his free hand, pulling her down harder on his cock as his fingers and tail tormented her body.

Bulma squirmed against him, his hot throbbing cock deep inside of her, circling and circling, that devilish tail stroking her insides and his hand… oh gods, his hand was rubbing her so perfectly, she could feel her climax building, that telltale tingle at her center, Vegeta's length spearing her, making the effect intensified and she screamed in frustration, "PLEASE! Please, please let me come! I'm so hot, I'm so close." She clenched as hard as she could down on Vegeta's cock, trying to move, trying to do something. She bit her lip as hard as she could, drawing blood, trying to think of something else to put off her orgasm.

"Not yet," he said dangerously in her ear. "I want to watch you squirm... to hear you beg for it..." He gyrated his hips harder against her, his cock circling even more within her. Oh, delicious torment, giving him just enough friction to make him ache, but not enough to spend himself. He rapidly tapped the pad of his finger against her clit, not hard enough to make it hurt, but just right on that edge. He groaned as she clenched even tighter on his cock and his tail. "I love owning an eager little whore like you... You want my seed, don't you? You want me to fill you with it until it pours back out of your body..." His breathing was becoming ragged, his own words working him into a frenzy. He just never could resist voicing his dominance, talking dirty to her. He wasn't sure how much longer he could stand to torment her body when all he wanted to do was to pound himself into her until his entire body went weak from pleasure.

Bulma shuddered, squeezing herself around him, panting from the effort it was taking to stave off her orgasm. "Oh gods, Vegeta, yes… please. I'm your whore. Fill me with your cum. Please! AH!" She jerked against him as his tail moved tantalizing against her, in her, rubbing against his cock inside her. She felt more essence slip out of her as she ground down on him, writhing and feeling her orgasm edge closer and closer with each tap of his finger. "Oh fuck, Vegeta, I'm going to come if you don't stop that. PLEASE! Fuck me harder! Slam me into the floor and leave me embedded in it. Fill me up so deeply, it takes days for it to work its way out of my system."

Vegeta couldn't hold himself back anymore. He grabbed her around the waist and swiftly moved to pin her to the floor beneath him. He pounded himself into her at a feverish pace, a sweat breaking out over his body. He was so close. He latched onto her mark again, sucking it furiously as she writhed beneath him. He drove himself harder... faster... deeper... Oh gods... He felt his cock swelling, aching for his release... "Come for me," he commanded. "Come for me now!" He slammed his hips against hers with brutal force as he shot his hot cum deep within her body, screaming out his orgasm as it washed over his every nerve.

Bulma lost her mind, bliss overcame her as she felt Vegeta shoot deeply within her body, making her scream in pleasure as she finally let go and came around him, squeezing him tightly, holding him in her body. She milked every last drop from his cock as her body convulsed, the pleasure of pleasuring and being pleasured in return. His joy was hers as a second wave washed through her and her eyes rolled into the back of her head as she came a second time, her vision dark with fireworks before she passed out beneath him, a smile on her face, legs still tight around his waist.

Vegeta blinked for a moment before he chuckled softly. He propped himself on his elbows over her, letting his fingers slip through her hair, his body still inside hers. She amazed him. He kissed her softly and shuddered as he withdrew from her. He tucked himself back into his clothes and fixed her skirt before he picked her up, cradling her in his arms, and carried her up to their bedroom. He looked around at it, drawing in the comfort of the space before he laid Bulma down on the bed and covered her with the blankets. His fingers ran through her hair again and he kissed her temple gently. "Sleep well, my princess," he whispered and headed for the bathroom to take a hot shower and contemplate the war some more.


	40. One Last Time

Krillin ran a hand through his hair in frustration. "Come on Eighteen, I didn't do that training because, well, that was Vegeta's thing! Could you honestly see me passing that? But you know I can fight and I don't want to let Jenny's hard work into making me my own armor go to waste!" he huffed. He didn't like arguing with the android, he loved her so, but gosh darn it, "I'm not about to let you go off into this dangerous battle alone. What if something happens to you!? Think about Marron if not me!"

"I am thinking of Marron," Eighteen snapped. "How do you think she'd react if you were seriously injured or worse, KILLED?" She shook her head, a frown pulling at her lips. She crossed her arms over her chest, staring at her husband. "I'm sure Jenny will understand if you don't use the armor. Did you see that vision that Leelee had? You are not ready for this!"

Krillin crossed his arms, mumbling, "She might understand, but I'm pretty sure Vegeta would kick my ass." He sighed and drug a hand over his face. "Eighteen, I couldn't just sit here while you are out there alone fighting for us! I'm going with you. Marron is going to have both her parents when this is over. And I am going to have my wife. I don't want to lose you, honey."

"I don't want to lose you, either," she answered. "And I'm afraid that's what's going to happen! If you wanted to go, you should've been training all this time!"

Yamcha muted the TV, tearing his eyes away from the game he was watching. He'd been vaguely listening to their argument for the better part of half an hour now. "Ah, c'mon, Krillin. Just stay here with me. I'm not going to war. I know I can't handle it. Hell, Tien saved my ass last time after I got knocked out. Let Goku handle it," he said.

Krillin frowned at Yamcha. "Well we all can't be like you. One person could make the difference in this war! I know I can be a pain in battle, but I can make it count, I know I can make it count." His eyes flickered over to Marron who was playing with her dolls on the floor in front of the TV. "I don't want her to think her daddy is a coward. I'm going Eighteen." He walked to her, flying up to make the height difference vanish, "You'll have to tie me down if you don't want me to come."

Eighteen tried to fight the smile on her lips, but failed. It always amused her when he did that. "Oh, alright, fine," she sighed. She stepped closer to him, cupping his face in her hands. "Just promise me you'll be careful out there." She pressed her lips to his in a tender kiss, feeling butterflies in her stomach just like she always did. She gave him a mischievous smirk. "And I just might tie you down anyway," she said in a low, sultry voice.

Krillin chuckled, cupping her face in his hands, leaning his forehead against hers, feeling calm settling over him. "I might just let you. But you just have to promise to untie me in the morning before the battle." He kissed her firmly, sighing out against her. It put his mind at ease to know he would be there at the battle to watch her back. Something had been nagging at him for a while. He knew he had to be in the war. He just had to be.

Eighteen snickered. "I'll think about it," she smirked. She kissed him once more before she turned to her daughter, "Come on, Marron. Give your daddy goodnight kisses. It's time for bed."

She smiled as her little girl eagerly ran over and jumped into Krillin's arms, kissing his face and hugging his neck tightly. "Goodnight, Daddy! Be careful tomorrow!"

Krillin grinned and hugged his little daughter so tightly. "I will, you little firefly. Don't you worry about Daddy. He has Mommy there to protect him." He winked at his daughter and carried her off to her room, Eighteen following him. "Did you brush your teeth already?" He laughed at her eager nod and moved her to one arm as he pulled down the covers and settled her between them, pulling the soft comforter up to her chin, "There's my good girl."

Eighteen leaned against the doorframe, smiling at her husband and daughter, her reasons for going to this war. She had to trust Krillin, had to remind herself that he was an accomplished fighter as well. He wasn't a coward like Yamcha - at least Krillin was willing to fight for the ones he loved. She clicked off the light as Marron settled herself in bed. "Come on, let's go to bed," she said to her husband, running her fingers through his hair. She still wasn't quite used to that. "We can't show up to the fight looking half-awake."

Krillin laughed and shut the door behind him. "Right. Although, after the night of a full moon, I'm sure we wouldn't be the only ones showing up half awake."

* * *

Chichi was grateful that Goku had spent most of his day training at Tien's that day. She knew it was the night of the full moon and Goku could be uncharacteristically unpleasant to be around. Either he was pawing at her, trying to get her in bed with him or he was irritable and moody. Add that to Goten's hyper-ness and she was about ready to lose her mind on those days. Goten had finally gone to bed and Chichi knew what was coming next. Goku would be bugging her for sex any minute. He was looking distracted tonight, though, as if the war was really starting to get to him. She knew what she planned to do if he actually went to battle tomorrow. But now she was feeling a bit nervous. Was it the right thing to do? Was there any hope of saving her marriage at all? She had to find out, one last time, just to be sure. "Goku," she said stiffly as she walked over to her husband, who was sitting on the couch, staring out the window, chewing at his thumb as his knee bounced irritatedly. It always made her a little frightened when he looked so fierce. "Should... ah... should we go to bed?" she asked, cringing inside already. Oh, maybe this was a bad idea...

Goku blinked, startled out of his thoughts at Chichi's voice. It took him a moment more to process the words she had said. Go to bed? He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "No, it's alright. I know you don't like me on the full moon." He looked at her, seeing the uncertainty in her face, "Unless you would like to? To be honest, I would just like to hold you for a little bit. Tomorrows the war and I don't know what I would do if I lost you. Or Goten. It's weighing a lot on my mind."

"Oh," Chichi said in surprise. She hadn't been expecting that. "W-Well, I suppose, if that's what you want," she stammered. She expected him to jump at the opportunity to have sex. She chewed her lip for a moment, not sure of what else to say. She was so dumbfounded by his response, she actually found herself speechless for once. She turned and headed up the stairs to the bedroom, slipping off her robe and hanging it up, turning to see him as he entered the room. It almost seemed odd to see him in this space, she'd become so used to him sleeping in the living room every night. She didn't know what she was doing, what she wanted, what she thought she was going to discover that night. She just didn't know...

Goku sighed happily as he came back into the bedroom. Even after all this time, he still loved the way it smelled. He drew off his shirt and pants, leaving himself in his boxers and crawled under the covers, sighing happily as the mattress cradled his body and soothed some of his worries. He trained long and hard at Tien's, he was sure he had made them mad at some point. He had been so angry and relentless that day in their sparring. His mind was on the war and what it meant to beat their enemy. What it meant if they lost. He waited until Chichi was under the covers with him before he carefully drew her into his arms, burying his face into her hair, his leg slipping between hers as he curled around her, pulling her back against his chest. He could cry; this felt better than he remembered and he breathed her in deep, smelling the warm scent of vanilla in her soft hair. "I miss you, Chichi," he said sadly.

Chichi felt stiff and uncomfortable in his arms. He missed her? How could he miss her when she was right there? And if he truly missed her when he wasn't around, then why wasn't he at home more often? She shifted around, trying to find a comfortable position to lay in, but she just couldn't seem to. She sighed irritably, shoving his leg back from between her legs, wiggling around again. Dammit. She huffed, "Goku, this... I can't sleep like this..." She turned to her back, blowing a stray piece of hair out of her eyes, but it just fell right back. Why did everything he did just seem to irritate her? Even when he was trying to be kind or affectionate, she just wanted to cringe away from him. She rubbed at the mark on her neck, almost hissing at how cold and uncomfortable it felt.

Goku muttered a small apology and pulled back from her, moving her stray piece of hair to tuck it behind her ear. "Promise me if things don't go the way they are supposed to, if this war ends badly, please get yourself and Goten somewhere safe. Like Capsule Corp or something. I don't know what's going to happen." He tucked his hand under his pillow, still laying on his side facing her. She was beautiful like this, the moonlight casting her features sharply, giving her skin the look of smooth cool cream. He leaned down and kissed her shoulder as he arm snaked back across her waist, stroking absentmindedly at the smooth silk of her nightgown. "Though, I know if anyone tries to cause trouble for you, you will give them a run for their money. You always were a talented fighter."

Chichi gave a soft snort. "Yeah, 'were' being the operative word there," she admitted softly. She frowned, meeting his eyes. "I just don't understand why you have to go. Why is it so important to you? Goku, can't you just this once sit it out?" She huffed, pressing her lips together. "I just don't see what the allure of battle is to you. You said you miss me - why aren't you..." She stopped herself. They'd had this conversation over and over and over again. She almost wished he'd have just accepted her offer for sex and passed out afterwards instead of having this conversation. "Never mind," she muttered, turning her face away from him.

Goku rubbed her shoulder sadly, "Because if I sit this one out, what does that say about me? It's not that I go off and fight just because. I fight because so much of what I love is at stake. You and Goten. This world. I could never just sit idly by and let it be destroyed. Not when I have so much to fight for." He rubbed his hand down her arm, to her waist, shivering as he felt her curves. His body was starting to awaken to her. He wanted to just turn her over, push her night gown up, and delve into her body. He swallowed and moved his hand up, under her nightgown, moving to cup one of her small breasts, leaning over and kissing at her neck.

Chichi bit her lips, trying to lean into his touch. She could do this... she had to do this. She tilted her head to the side, letting him kiss her neck, her hand shaking as she placed it on his arm. A strange sensation ran through her body as his thumb brushed over her nipple and she nearly recoiled from his touch. Why couldn't she enjoy her husband like most wives did? Did other women really enjoy sex, or did they just say they did in order to keep the men they loved? It didn't seem worth it to her, to have her skin crawling the way it did. She had to keep trying, she had to make sure that she'd made the right decision. Oh, she felt like she was lying to herself. She squeezed her eyes shut as his mouth pressed hot kisses to her throat. _'Oh, I shouldn't have asked for this,'_ she thought to herself.

Goku felt giddy as she tilted her head allowing him better access, but there was something just off about it. Like it was forced. Did... did she think he was forcing her into this? The very thought of it made his erection wilt a little, but he kept trying. He moved his hand down, slipping it into her underwear, feeling for her clit, but she wasn't wet. She was dry to his touch. He sighed inwardly and moved, pulling back from her and decided to try something different. Remembering his rather steamy dream and how amazing it had felt to be restrained, to be completely at the mercy of his lover. He moved, catching her wrists and tugging them above her head, pressing them into the soft mattress carefully with one hand. He felt a blush on his face as he licked at his own fingers on his free hand before he moved down, kissing at her neck again, tonguing the mark on her neck while moving his slicked fingers back down to her center, brushing them against her folds.

Chichi gasped as he restrained her and she tried to pull her wrists from his grasp. She couldn't even focus on his fingers touching her because his mouth had closed over the mark on her neck, making her want to cry out - and not from pleasure. It sent jolts of cold shooting down her spine, making her stomach turn. "Goku, no, please," she whimpered, trying to pull her neck away from his mouth. Everything else she could force herself to tolerate, but not that. Not that. Oh, the sensation was so unpleasant it made her dizzy. The room was spinning, a cold sweat breaking out over her body. "Stop. Stop!"

Goku pulled back from her, letting her go and his fingers slipping from her, his erection disappearing altogether as he sat back. "Sorry. I thought maybe if I tried something new..." He sighed and rubbed his head. He swallowed hard, maybe something was wrong with him. He though he would enjoy Chichi squirming, but not in that kind of pain. "You want to, you know, try something else? Maybe you can tie me up or something?"

Chichi sat up, breathing heavily, her stomach feeling like she was going to get sick. She pressed a hand to her mouth, breathing slowly through her nose, willing the nausea away. This was ridiculous. Surely this wasn't the way a wife was supposed to feel during sex. Of course, she'd always been told that sex wasn't for enjoyment, that it was something to be endured, that it was just a fact of life that women had to accept and deal with. She wished her mother was still alive so she could speak to her about this, to find out if it really was supposed to be this bad. She looked at her husband again. That idiot. Wasn't his mark uncomfortable on his neck, too? Apparently not.

"S-Something else?" she asked. She didn't know if she could even stand to look at him anymore, much less touch him. His suggestion caught up to her and she felt a bit of irritation flare in her again. "I'm not going to tie you up," she snipped. "That's just... no, Goku. Just no."

"Why is it a bad idea? You could tie me up. I'd be helpless, you could, you know, take out some of your frustrations on me..." Goku sighed as he saw her uninterested look and leaned back against the pillows, staring up at the ceiling. "This was a bad idea. Guess I'll just go to the couch." He sighed and stood up, heading out the door. "G'night, Chichi," he said sadly, closing the door behind him.

Chichi wiped at the tears in her eyes, her mark aching painfully. She was done. She was so done with this. She knew in that moment that she'd made the right decision. Right or wrong, no matter what her mother would have said, Chichi couldn't take another day of this. She felt like she was screaming inside, so full of anger and hatred and disappointment. It was all his fault. Always running around, never doing what she thought he should have been doing, then wanting to be affectionate and expecting her to be in the mood all the time. Chichi let out a frustrated scream through clenched teeth and got up, heading for the shower, nearly stumbling from the pain radiating from her mark. This was miserable. She couldn't stand it another moment.

* * *

Goku had his hands clasped together, pleading with his wife. He was dressed in his armor, ready to go, but he was missing his war paint. "Please Chichi? Everyone else is going to have it. It's from the sacred fire from Beltane. It's supposed to protect us even more than the armor!" He looked at Goten who was smiling at his armor. He wanted to ask if Goten wanted a little armor made just for him, but Chichi was in a mood it seemed and he really didn't want to make her angrier than she already was. He reached over and ruffled Goten's hair affectionately. "Hey kiddo. You know I love you right?"

Goten beamed and nodded his head. "I love you too, Daddy!" He ran forward and hugged Goku's leg, grinning up at him. His daddy looked so cool in that armor. He knew the armor was special and that it would keep his daddy safe in battle. "You're gonna win today!"

Chichi snorted and rolled her eyes. "Goku, this is so stupid," she huffed, looking at the jar of paint sitting on the table. "Aren't you strong enough to protect yourself without painting your face like a little kid?" She could see the pleading look in his eyes, thinking he looked rather pathetic. She didn't even know what he wanted her to paint on his face. She sighed again and crossed her arms as she stared at him. "What am I supposed to paint anyway?"

Goku picked up his son, cradling Goten in his arms and walked over to the table and dipped his finger into the paint, moving to press a quick little design to his son's face, "Anything you like Chichi. I think Sabriena said something tribal would work. " He smiled at Chichi, "Whatever you want, you could draw lines on my face and I'd be happy."

Chichi wrinkled her nose at the mention of Sabriena.

Goten giggled as his dad painted some of the ashes on his face. "Now I'm ready for war!" he cried, curling his arms, flexing his little muscles.

"Now see? See?!" Chichi screeched. "You're rubbing off on him! Goten! Go wash that off your face! You are NEVER going to war mister! You hear me? You're going to grow up to be a doctor, just like your brother!"

Goten pouted, but slid out of Goku's arms and stomped down the hall to the bathroom to wash his face.

Goku pouted, sad that his son had to wash the ashes off of his face, "Ah, let him have some fun. He's still got some years before he's a doctor."

Chichi grabbed up the jar of paint, a frown on her face as she fished in the drawer for a paint brush. She was NOT about to get any of that on her fingers and mess up her nails. "Fine. Sit," she barked, pointing at a kitchen chair as she finally found a little plastic paintbrush that had come with the watercolors she'd bought for Goten.

He smiled up at Chichi, remembering the romantic night they had some time ago, trying to push last night out of his mind. "When it's over, I promise I will make this up to you, I know it's not easy with me running off to train all the time."

Chichi snorted. "No kidding," she muttered. She knew it was a lie. Just as soon as this threat was over, there'd be another he had to prepare for. And another. And another. It would never end with him. She knew that now. Better to just do this and get him out of the house. She had other plans for the day. She grabbed his chin and lifted it to look at her. "Close your eyes," she muttered, jabbing the brush into the paint as she considered his face for a moment. Tribal paint... She remembered seeing those types of tattoos before. Her nose wrinkled at the thought, but if that's what he wanted to look like, then so be it. She started swiping the paint over his face, her movements a little harsh, but she wasn't about to make it look bad. Everyone would know it was her who painted it and she wasn't going to have her name on something that looked sloppy.

Goku steeled himself, pressing his lips thin, he wanted to tell her to go easy, the bristles were sharp and stung against his face as she worked. It left an unpleasant feeling seeping into his skin. "Chichi, easy. That hurts honey," he said. He held still for her, wondering what she was drawing, wondering what would the others look like. He tried to feel giddy, but with each harsh brush stroke, he wasn't sure, but it felt weird.

"Sorry," she muttered, but her tone didn't sound sincere. She continued to paint, picturing in her head what those stupid tattoos looked like. Why on earth anyone would want that painted on them, much less to have it permanently tattooed on their skin, was beyond her. She would never admit it, but she took a little satisfaction in the fact that it was making him uncomfortable. She let her lips curl in a little sneer since his eyes were closed. She pressed the brush a little harder against his face. "Well you want to make sure it's on there good, don't you?"

Goku bit back a whimper as the brush was pressed in harder, he didn't like the feelings he was getting from the paint. Was this how it was supposed to feel? He grit his teeth before he finally scooted back from her, opening his eyes. "I think that's good enough," he said as he stood up and walked back to the bathroom. breathing a sigh of relief to see his son still there, "Hey kiddo" He looked at his face in the mirror, the intricate designs were bold, but looked a little red around the edges where she had pressed so hard, "What do you think, buddy?" He reached down and picked his son up, snuggling with him, fiercely, taking in the warmth he felt from him.

"Oh wow, Daddy, you look so cool!" Goten grinned. He looked in the mirror, frowning that he had to take off the paint from his own face. "I wish Momma had let me keep mine. I wanna be just like you." He looked at his daddy's paint again, concerned to see the redness there. "Why is it red, Daddy? Did Momma hurt you?" He didn't like the thought of his mother hurting his dad. The paint was supposed to protect his dad, not hurt him. He hugged his dad's neck, breathing in deeply the familiar scent, taking comfort in his dad's strong embrace.

Goku chuckled, "No kiddo, she didn't hurt me, just wanted to make sure the paint was in there good. Guess I'm ready to go, huh?" He turned his face into Goten's hair, hugging him tightly, praying to the goddess that this wouldn't be the last time he saw his son, he got to hold him. "I'll be back before you know it kiddo. I'm going to make sure that no one can hurt us again."

Chichi huffed and looked at her nails. Somehow, she'd managed to get some of that stupid paint on them. "Oh, dammit," she hissed and went to the sink, scrubbing at her nails, but the paint didn't want to seem to come off. "GOKU!" she shouted. "What is this paint made of? UGH!" She scrubbed harder, nearly growling in frustration as she finally removed it. "This whole thing is just stupid! I still don't see why you have to go!"

Goku came out of the bathroom, carrying Goten in his arms, kissing his forehead and rubbing his back and looking at Chichi. He felt something in him change. He was holding his reason for fighting, she was standing in front of him. "I have to go because I am protecting you." He smiled and turned, rubbing his nose against Goten's, "And I'm protecting you and everyone on the planet. I've said it from the beginning Chichi." He set Goten down, holding on to him, "And you know what? It's what I do and I'm good at it."

Chichi crossed her arms and sneered at him. "It's the ONLY thing you're good at," she spat.

Goten frowned at his mother, speaking before thinking, "He's good at being my daddy!" he declared, wanting to protect his father from another argument with his mother.

"Goten! You don't speak to me like that, mister! And don't interrupt adults when they're talking unless you want a spanking," she threatened.

Goten gave a little squeak and tried to cower behind his father's leg.

"Goku, if you walk out that door..." she said, leaving the threat hanging in the air.

Goku picked up Goten again, cradling him in his arms. "Don't snap at him like that," he interrupted her, leveling his gaze at her before he walked forward, looking down at her angry face. "You keep telling me you want me to stay and then you tell me you can't stand me here doing nothing to earn a living. I do do something. I fight. I am a Saiyan warrior and it's in my blood and I am proud to be the fighter I am. I've saved you, our children and this world hundreds of times. I've died to save our child before and I am prepared to do it again. And like it or not, it's in the blood of our children. If Goten wants to grow up to be a doctor, that's great, but he should choose that for himself. If he wants to be a fighter, that's great too. Either way. He shouldn't sacrifice his childhood for his dreams. We will never be a normal family and that's what makes this family so precious to me."

"You need to give up fighting once and for all. I'm not raising another kid on my own while you play warrior with those sluts and uncivilized brutes out there! You need to get your priorities straight!" she snapped.

"I'm sick of hearing you talk about my friends like that. They're our family! I don't understand why you don't want to be part of that," he growled. He could feel his heart racing, the anger coiling through his system, the adrenaline of the promised battle already building up inside him. Damn these Saiyan genes. He had to get out of there before he lost his temper and said something he really regretted. "I love you, Chichi. But you know it's my responsibility to the earth to protect its people. I will not sit by and let my friends face this enemy without me."

Chichi stomped her foot . "You watch your mouth! I am serious Goku. You have a responsibility to YOUR family. Your flesh and blood and ME. Not those pretenders out there, Mister! The sooner you learn that, the sooner we can get back on track here. Oh, all I ever wanted was to have a normal family, a normal life! But NO. Any time there's a sign of danger, you go rushing off! It's like you don't even want to be here anymore, Goku. I swear, if you go to this battle, I'm leaving you! I'm taking Goten and we are LEAVING. What's more important to you!?"

Goku pressed his lips to a thin line. He'd heard this empty threat from her before. It was getting old. "You know you and our boys are the most important things to me. That's why I fight! What good is it gonna do for me to stay here if they destroy the planet?! Is that what you want?!" Couldn't she see that? At least she'd have her way then. He couldn't fight any more if they were all dead. He ran a hand through his hair, scratching irritatedly at the back of his neck. "I thought you were proud of me, of the things I've done to save the world. To save our boys. To save you."

Chichi threw her hands in the air. "Yes, of your achievements, You, you, you. You are not the only fighter on this planet, you know. You are not that crucial to its survival! Vegeta can take care of the planet just fine on his own, though I don't know how Bulma puts up with all of this Saiyan nonsense! You only think you are needed because you haven't missed a fight YET. Get it through that THICK head of yours that you missing this fight is going to bring about the apocalypse! This isn't your fight, Goku, and if you had any faith in this 'family' then you'd let them fight this fight on their own! It's their fight, NOT YOURS. I need you here, Goku. Not off gallivanting about the world, chasing after women half your age when you have me here."

That stung. She'd been accusing him of unfaithfulness for months now and he had been nothing but faithful. Ever since that one little conversation with Lindsey's sister, Chichi had chewed him out every time he even spoke to a female. It didn't matter who it was, even Bulma. And then after that mess with Leelee and that spell... That hadn't been his fault. Chichi didn't understand how powerful this magick was. And how could she say the fight wasn't his? "Chichi, I told you who these warriors are. Vegeta recognized them. They were my father's crew! They're my own flesh and blood - coming here to destroy our home! How can it NOT be my fight?! You honest to God want me to sit it out while our children fight this war for us? You want Gohan and Lindsey to go to war without me?!" He was breathing hard, his frustration reaching a breaking point. "I'm going today, whether you like it or not, Chichi. I don't have a choice! Now stop!"

Chichi was dumbstruck, standing there with her mouth gaping like a fish out of water. How DARE he speak to her like that?! She could feel her blood pressure rising as she stared at the man, no, the alien in front of her. Gods, it just made her skin crawl to even look at him. She wanted to tell him she hated him, that she didn't care if he came back from this war or not. "Goku, I swear to you, if you go today, you will NOT have a family to come home to."

Goku shook his head and sighed, "No. If I don't go, I won't have a family at all. I will make sure this family stays safe. That you both have a future to look forward to." He reached out, squeezing Chichi's shoulder. "When I get back, we will figure a way to make this work. Things are going to change around here. I'm not giving up on us, Chichi." He let go, feeling her starting to recoil from him and he just shook his head. He looked to his youngest son, "Son, I love you more than anything. Should things not go as planned, I want you to live the life you want to, so long as your whole heart is in it."

Goten sniffled and threw himself against his dad, hugging his neck. "Okay, Daddy, but you be careful! I wanna go camping with you again!" He squeezed his dad's neck, fighting the urge to cry. He understood that it was dangerous and that his father and his brother might not come home again. "I love you, Daddy," he whispered.

Chichi crossed her arms again and frowned. She was growing impatient. She had plans for the day that she couldn't accomplish until her husband left. "Well, better get going," she snipped, her tone cold. "Go on. Go save the world. Lord knows they can't do it without you."

Goku finally stood up and ruffled his son's hair before he turned towards Chichi. "Take care Chichi, I'll be back before you know it. I love you," he said, leaning in to press a kiss to her lips, but she turned at the last moment and he kissed her cheek. She was still upset about the fighting, he didn't blame her.

"Goodbye, Chichi. I love you," he repeated firmly before carrying Goten with him outside where he set him down on the ground, kneeling in front of his son, hugging him tightly. "Be safe kiddo. I think I love you the best, you know?" He smiled at him, kissing his cheek soundly, hugging him for a long moment.

"I love you best, too, Daddy," he said softly, nuzzling under his dad's chin. He didn't want his daddy to go, but he knew he had to. Goten wasn't going to ask him to stay. "Please be careful, Daddy. I would miss you way too much if you didn't come home. I want you here with me when it's over." He tried to be brave, but his little bottom lip trembled as he spoke and he had to blink away the tears. He knew Momma had to be furious with him right now for speaking out against her and he didn't want to think about what the punishment would be when he went back in the house. "I love you," he repeated, hugging his daddy a little tighter. "Now go get the bad guys!"

Goku chuckled and hugged Goten tighter. "I love you too son. So much." He reluctantly let go, wiping away Goten's tears. "Hey, it'll be alright. I'll be back before you know it. Be safe kiddo. Leave a light on for me, okay?"

Goten nodded, not wanting to see his daddy go, but there was an excitement bubbling up in him at the same time. "I will, Daddy! I promise! I love you!" he grinned.

He smiled, ruffling Goten's hair before he stepped back and pressed his fingers to his forehead, keeping his eyes on his son until he vanished.


End file.
